I’ve been incredibly lucky to spend the past year working in Morrow County to support the development of the Crossroads Solar Grazing Center. I’ve been fortunate to be on the ground alongside our supporters throughout this process. It’s been amazing to help to build community engagement and advocate for clean energy.

Back in December, we felt some of the pressure and uncertainty lift off our shoulders - the OPSB Staff recommended approving the Crossroads Solar Grazing Center. Unfortunately, for the first time in its history, the OPSB ultimately reversed its decision. While this outcome was deeply disappointing, it does not erase the work that was done or the support that was built in Morrow County. Hundreds of residents spoke up, many for the first time, to advocate for clean energy and a more sustainable future for their community.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was securing support from local officials. I have been regularly attending Cardington Town Trustee meetings to assist our advocates. The more meetings I went to, the more I could see how much people care about their community. Even our opposition has a deep love for their homes. Despite being on opposite sides of the issue , the one thing that they had in common was their passion to help their county.

After seeing that, the most important thing to me was that I showed up for Morrow County. I wanted to care for Morrow County in the same way their citizens did. We employed deep canvassing to talk with residents about why solar would benefit their community. If we show up for them, we can inspire change in hearts and minds. In total, we gathered 156 letters from community members explaining how the project would benefit their county.

Those voices became the cornerstone of our campaign. Together with local supporters, we hosted solar events, webinars, and showed up consistently at public meetings. The supporters didn’t just become people I worked alongside, they became a part of my life. I was enveloped into a small part of their community. The people of Morrow County were the driving force when the OPSB staff issued a positive report on the project. 

Even though reversing the staff report’s decision was a surprise to everyone, we continue to advocate for clean energy in Morrow county. This campaign showed the power of local organizing and the importance of continuing to fight for community voices to be heard in energy decisions. Ohio Citizen Action remains committed to standing with residents in Morrow County and across the state as we push for a cleaner, more just energy future. Setbacks do not define a movement, the people behind it do.

If you’re interested in learning more about the people behind a movement, Ohio Citizen Action is hosting a panel of local organizers and how organizing works in their own communities. Sign up here! 

This Giving Tuesday, we want you to meet our canvassing team—the organizers who spent months walking neighborhoods across Ohio, listening to voters who feel like they've been left behind.

This year, we launched our "Voter Courtship" project. For five months, our canvassers knocked on the doors of registered voters who sat out the 2024 election with a simple mission - to understand why. Not to shame them. Just to hear their stories.

What they discovered will give you hope: thousands of Ohioans who don't vote aren't checked out—they're waiting for someone to address the issues that actually matter in their lives.

We trained our team in "deep canvassing"—a technique built on compassionate curiosity, non-judgmental listening, and genuine human connection. The goal? Let voters talk about what's really keeping them home on Election Day. These weren't quick exchanges at the door. These were real conversations. Stories shared. Emotions processed. Connections made.

Here's what we discovered: These voters aren't apathetic. They're not lazy. They're not "checked out. They're exhausted. They care about their kids' schools. They're worried about rising property taxes. They're struggling with the cost of living. 

One woman in Parma told us she rated her likelihood of voting in 2026 as a 6 out of 10. She believed voting was important. But life felt overwhelming, and politics felt like just one more thing demanding her attention.

Our canvasser didn't lecture her. Didn't guilt her. Just listened, asked questions, and helped her work through those feelings. 

Fifteen minutes later, she rated herself a 10 out of 10. That's the power of deep canvassing. That's what happens when someone feels truly heard.

Our team set out to move people from "probably won't vote" to "definitely will vote." And they're succeeding—not through slick marketing, but through genuine face to face conversations that restore people's faith in their own power.

Deep canvassing taught us that people don't need to be convinced that voting matters. They need to be reminded that they matter. That their struggles are seen. That their vote connects directly to the issues keeping them up at night.

The results speak for themselves: most people we talked with didn't just answer our questions—they asked to stay connected, joining our community to stay informed about Ohio elections and our advocacy work.

This Giving Tuesday, will you invest in the team that's rebuilding Ohio democracy from the ground up?

Every dollar you give supports the canvassers who are having thousands of conversations that transform cynicism into civic engagement—one doorstep at a time.

Your gift today will:

⭐ Fund more door-to-door conversations with disengaged voters

⭐ Train additional canvassers in our proven deep canvassing approach

⭐ Reach voters in critical blue-collar districts

⭐ Test and refine the messages that actually motivate people to vote

Imagine what we could do with your support. Your contribution today will fund the conversations that could transform civic participation in Ohio.

Together, we can turn those thousands of missing votes into engaged citizens. We can show that when people have their voices heard, democracy works better for everyone.

Thank you for helping us knock on more doors and open more possibilities.

We all know how stressful election season is - the constant ads, the uncertainty of what comes next, and the fear that things will not go how we want them to. But we also know that election season is a time of hope for the future and a time to reflect on the year to come.

Ohio Citizen Action has also taken this time for a season of appreciation. Our canvass staff is the lifeblood of the organization, the work we do is impossible without their relentless positivity and perseverance. We took a day to go to Dave & Busters together to celebrate the hard work that has been done this year and take some time to decompress together. 

Our day of fun at Dave & Buster’s was such a great experience! We enjoyed delicious food, drinks, and cake, and even held a raffle where DJ won a plasma screen TV, which turned out to be extra special since it was his birthday! The scavenger hunt game brought out everyone’s fun and competitive side, and it was a wonderful way to connect with my coworkers outside of work. It truly felt like a great team-building experience, and I hope we make it an annual tradition. - Bella Bogin, Director of Programs

Only a couple weeks later, we held our inaugural Staff & Board Retreat at Great Wolf Lodge Mason, near Cincinnati. Our staff came from all corners of the state to take some time to relax, have fun, reflect on 2025, and get excited for what is to come in 2026. 

With presentations like “What to Expect When You’re Electing,” “Voter Courtship, Going Steady, or Engaged?” “Please Don’t Let Me Die in Committee,” and “Here Comes the Sun and Solar Policy,” we definitely tackled serious issues while honoring the personality of the organization and our staff. 

 I loved getting to know everyone as real people instead of just faces on Zoom. The retreat pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way and helped me feel like I could just be myself. Between games, laughter, and learning about everyone’s talents, we went from coworkers to friends—and in this type of work, you need to feel like you have each other’s backs, making events like this so important. - Linda Ozello, Volunteer Coordinator

Whether you have been on staff for 30 years or for 3 days, everybody had an opportunity to spend time together in one space, both doing some work but also being people together. Again, thank you to every staff member, both past and present. Ohio Citizen Action is only as strong as the people who make it possible.

Last Tuesday, I went to vote as usual. I handed over my ID, and the system flagged me. My license and registration did not match. My license included my married name, but my voter record showed only my maiden name.

This should not have happened. I have voted multiple times under my married name. I have updated my registration three separate times in the past four years, each time confirming my information was current. Yet today, the system reverted to an older record.

When I signed my name, the system flagged another mismatch. The signature they had on file wasn’t from my most recent license or even the one before that. It came from two licenses ago, meaning my registration record was from after 2022 but before 2023 — the period before I officially changed my name.

Thankfully, the poll worker who reviewed my case was confident enough to verify that I was who I said I was and allowed me to vote. But what if she hadn’t? What if I had been new to the area or lacked the paperwork to prove my name history?

Now imagine someone who doesn’t have my advantages. What if English isn’t their first language? What if they changed their name because of marriage, adoption, or gender transition? What if they work two jobs and rely on public transportation? SB 153 would make it much easier for those voters to be rejected, delayed, or forced into a system that makes it even harder for their ballot to count. I'm sure some people who also had issues at the polls were ultimately turned away.

I believe deeply in the right to vote. But belief is not enough. Access matters just as much. If we want our democracy to reflect all of us, then every eligible voter must be able to cast a ballot that counts. I think a war veteran who is homeless deserves to have as much of a vote as a suburban grandma who votes with her church. I think a gun owner should have an equal vote to someone who wants them banned. Laws that place barriers to voting are, in my opinion, an integral part of the destruction of democracy.