In 2018, Ohio LGBTQ+ groups encouraged people to vote but largely overlooked those who weren’t yet registered. Based on this year’s Williams Institute report on nonvoters and others’ estimates of the LGBTQ+ population in Ohio, that ignored more than 83,000 queer people who ended up on the sidelines of last year’s election.
This time around, Henry plans a relentless campaign that will put the registration message before queer people just about everywhere they turn: in gay bars and craft breweries, on social media and dating apps, at arts events and community gatherings and other spaces. And with initial funding from Equality Ohio, the statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and Equitas Health, an LGBTQ+-focused healthcare provider in Ohio, Get the Vote Out might just be able to pull it off.
Henry envisions drag queens reminding people at their Sunday Funday and karaoke night gigs to register to vote. He sees the message on Sousaphones of LGBTQ+ marching bands and the flags of LGBTQ+ flag corps during Pride parades all over Ohio. He hears announcements at theater events and concerts. He pictures body-painted models spreading the word via Grindr and other dating apps.
Special events are in the works for Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and other Ohio cities. A special Gay Card will serve as an incentive for people to get free swag from businesses that are part of the effort.
Get the Vote Out has enlisted the help of Pride committees and community centers around the state to make the ideas a reality. The Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus, the LGBTQ+-focused Evolution Theatre company in Columbus, and Dayton’s Rubi Girls drag troupe also are on board. West and other members of her drag family will be part of the plan as well.
“We want it embedded in everything. It’s just a constant reminder of, ‘Register, register, register, vote, vote, vote,’” she says. “I’m hell-bent to get Billy Porter and some of the cast of ‘Pose.’ We’re already working on it.”
Most of all, Henry wants to see one-on-one conversations in bars and other places where queer people gather, individual stories about why LGBTQ+ folks in particular need to register and, even more importantly, vote.
“Sometimes it’s the face-to-face perspective, personalizing the message. That’s one of the tactics we’re going to have to use if we want to make a difference. We have to move beyond just social media,” Henry explains.
The Human Rights Campaign will continue its efforts next year to mobilize LGBTQ+ and allied voters in Ohio and five other battleground states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada. Beyond the 11 million-plus queer people who are eligible to vote, HRC counts 57 million Americans as “Equality Voters” who prioritize LGBTQ+ issues when making their decisions about which candidates to support.
It’s a potent bloc, especially in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, which Trump carried over pro-LGBTQ+ Democrat Hillary Clinton by margins of 11,000 to 44,000 votes. Trump won Ohio by almost 450,000 votes, but registration and mobilization of more queer and allied voters could go a long way toward making the state competitive once again.
Although Get The Vote Out is a nonpartisan effort, the Williams Institute study of LGBTQ+ voters found 50 percent identify as Democrats, 15 percent as Republicans, and 35 percent as unaffiliated, unsure or members of another party.
The Ohio effort also will come with a message encouraging voters to educate themselves on issues and candidates. It’s a tall order amid reports of foreign interference and cries of “fake news,” Henry acknowledges, but without it, he fears the number of queer people who are unplugged from politics will only increase.
“So many people just don’t feel like their voice counts, that their vote doesn’t matter, that the system is rigged. It’s a big problem,” he says. “There’s such a feeling of being ostracized.”
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