Registered to vote this year? Welcome to the jury pool! (Cincy Enquirer)

[VolcanoJen]

Anyone detect a note of nya-nya-nya-nya-nyaaa-nya! in this article? As in, "Dems registered more voters, so now you're gonna pay by serving on a jury?"

Or is it just me? And by the way, I'd love to be on a jury. :D

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041129/NEWS01/411290342

The 800,000 Ohioans who registered to vote this year signed up for more than the right to cast a ballot on Election Day.

<snip>

Democratic-affiliated groups appeared to be the most aggressive in registering large numbers of people - two of those groups registered about 250,000 - but that doesn't reveal much about the kind of jurors those new voters would be.

The only thing that's certain is they now are eligible to serve.

"As long as jury pools are tied to voter-registration rolls, I don't see how there could not be an impact on juries," said Ronda Deel, spokeswoman for the Amos Project, which represents 42 Cincinnati-area religious congregations.

[Democracy Died 2004]

1. Interesting. Would love to get on jury for one these

repug corporations law suits. And no I have no shame anymore i would slam them regardless of real guilt/innocence.

[WildClarySage]

2. So let that be a lesson to you-

no good vote goes unpunished.

[C.C.D.]

3. Anything wrong with being in a jury pool? Really? (m)

Other states do this too.

[AllegroRondo]

4. George Carlin had it right

If you want to avoid jury duty, tell the judge you think you would be a great juror because you can spot guilty people.

[AngryOldDem]

5. Isn't this a good thing?

Trial by a jury of one's peers? Of ordinary citizens?

I would think a more diverse jury pool would be a most welcome development in Hamilton County.

(BTW..the Amos Project is a great organization. A few churches in Dayton are trying to get something similar organized up here. Still in the embryonic stage, but we are all very hopeful...)

[VolcanoJen]

6. I think it's a very good thing, but isn't "Jury Pool" a common excuse...

... used by potential voters for not registering?

There was talk years ago of expanding the jury pool to include holders of drivers licenses as well as registered voters, but I'm not sure anything every came of it...

[AngryOldDem]

7. It is,

and I too find it highly amusing that they are using the jury pool as some kind of "caveat" to make people "think twice" before exercising what is their fundamental right as citizens.

I'd be interested to know how many people use jury duty as an excuse not to register to vote. I've been registered since I was 18 and I think I've been called two or three times. My husband, however, has been called a lot more, but yet he's never actually served.

I too heard that about driver's licenses, and I think it's a good idea. Not sure either what became of it.

[mackdaddy]

8. Ohio counties can use Drivers Lic, but usually don't

This came up at a meeting of the local Dem office here in Hocking County when we were discussing getting people registered as part of GOTV.

A local Dem Judge happened to be at the meeting, and said that they can go to DL lists for jurors, but at this time almost all counties still use voter registration for the juror pool.

Jury duty was one of the biggest reasons given for not registering to vote to volunteers doing the phone calling.