Reports

REPORT: A Justice Agenda – Ohio’s Missing Voters Part 2

January 24, 2024 by Editor

By Terra Goodnight, Director of Research and Lily Furgeson, Communications and Research Associate

Innovation Ohio Education Fund (IOEF) announces the release of a part two sequel to the Ohio’s Missing Voters report. In the previous report, Innovation Ohio Education Fund announced that Ohio is home to 2M eligible to vote residents that are not registered and 700k inactive voters that are in danger of being purged. Recognizing that Ohio’s electorate is not as representative of its people as it could be.

In this report, our objective was to gain deeper insights into whether Ohio’s laws are worsening Ohio’s Missing Voters’ problem and how other states and their laws may offer a solution. Ohio has always played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s political direction, and it is our responsibility to ensure that every eligible citizen’s voice is heard in our democratic process. We compared voter turnout and voting policies in midwestern battleground states: Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. Looking at the last three federal General Elections, we found that Ohio consistently ranks at the bottom in voter turnout and provides the least voter-friendly policies.

Ohios-Missing-Voters-Part-2 Download

REPORT: A Justice Agenda for Black Women and Girls

August 28, 2023 by Editor

Innovation Ohio Education Fund is pleased to announce A Justice Agenda for Black Women and Girls.

This report focuses on ways in which currently pending or passed state-level policy harms or holds back the lives of Black women and girls. We examine ways in which housing, workforce, and education policies create barriers for Black women and girls face in their lives and in seeking justice. We will then offer policy solutions for state-level policy makers to implement in order to close the gap on discriminatory policies and practices.

JusticeAgenda-Report-FNL-2 Download

Innovation Ohio Education Fund: 2022 Broadband Report

August 3, 2022 by Terra Goodnight

Innovation Ohio Education Fund has released our report on broadband access across Ohio and what impact the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and Affordable Connectivity Program (AFP) may have on Ohio families and communities.

The Biden Administration is aggressively working to address the digital divide and inequities caused by unequal access to broadband technologies that are becoming an increasingly essential part of modern life. With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), the administration has made a significant investment in broadband access and affordability. Thanks to billions in new federal funding, residents meeting basic income requirements can get $30 off a broadband plan with a participating provider through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and thanks to negotiations between the Biden administration and carriers, many providers are introducing new $30/month plans to the same customers, making service essentially free.

Nearly 40% of American households qualify for the ACP and it could result in more than 1.4 million Ohio households gaining access to affordable broadband, lowering their monthly bill or reducing their broadband cost to zero. According to the Census Bureau, over 1.2 million Ohio households lack a dedicated high speed internet connection to the home, the majority of which are low-income. This new program from the Biden administration could go a long way toward erasing digital access gaps and extending the many benefits of broadband access to more residents, and provides an easier path for communities to serve the needs of residents than the costly buildout of government-owned networks.

Click below to read and download the full report!

Innovation Ohio Education Fund Broadband Report Download