Sam Melden, a Democrat running for an at-large seat on the Toledo City Council, unveiled a new website Sunday designed to improve voter turnout in local elections.
The website, ToledoGo.tv, provides a link to the state’s voter registration page and lists the dates of the upcoming primary and general elections. A web form allows voters to find their polling location and receive email reminders in the days leading up to an election.
“I don’t want people to go to the polling location and find out they didn’t do what they had to do,” Mr. Melden said during a news conference at Willys Park attended by about half a dozen friends and campaign staffers.
A political newcomer, Mr. Melden is the director for growth and advancement at Leadership Toledo, and has been endorsed by the Lucas County Democratic Party. He designed the voting website with the help of two local developers, Jamie Wright and Jordan Justice.
Mr. Melden said he came up with the idea for ToledoGo after Ohio started allowing online voter registration in January. He was dismayed by the complexity of the state’s registration website and wanted to develop a mobile-friendly platform that would encourage more people to go the polls. Turnout in Lucas County has hovered at about 50 percent in the last two presidential elections.
“I was looking for that site, and it was very hard to find,” he said. “The URL is like 77 characters long. It’s very confusing.”
In searing afternoon heat, Mr. Melden, a West Toledo resident, held his phone aloft to reveal the red, white, and blue home screen of ToledoGo. But he emphasized that a simplified registration process is only half the battle when it comes to generating enthusiasm for local politics.
“At the end of the day, people are going to be more engaged politically when they have something inspiring and compelling to respond to. I’m excited to offer that,” Mr. Melden said. “At the same time, if they don’t know where their polling location is, it’s not gonna work well.”
Moments later, after a television crew failed to materialize, Mr. Melden took his phone out again — this time to give the same pitch on Facebook Live. Cody Brown, a campaign volunteer, said the website and live-streamed news conference were typical of Mr. Melden, a tech-savvy campaigner not shy to use social media when more traditional forms of promotion fall through.
“He had his own press conference when TV didn’t show up,” Mr. Brown said. “It’s pretty cool that’s something we’re able to do.”
Contact David Yaffe-Bellany at: dbellany@theblade.com, or 419-724-6050.
First Published June 12, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
