CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND ELECTION LAW IN OHIO
Kurt Young's passion for politics from the local level up began when he was only twelve years old. He and a group of friends joined a city council candidate going door to door to help him talk to neighbors and see what they wanted the city to do for them and their neighborhood.
Kurt was the first Democrat and the third person overall to receive a Certificate in Applied Politics from the Ray C. Bliss Institute at the University of Akron. This program, named after a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who was an innovator in campaigns, is to teach women and men of all parties how to run campaigns and manage interest groups and staff government officials. As a part of this program Kurt worked on various political campaigns, worked in the district office of a Member of Congress, and even helped the City of Akron Mayor's Office lobby the Ohio General Assembly for funds for a major project, Akron's John S. Knight Convention Center.
In law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Kurt was required to complete research paper to graduate. Kurt's paper was an analysis of Ohio's Campaign Finance System using the law and economics model. Law and economics use economics, specifically microeconomics to look at legal system and see what effects laws will have on society.
After the 2000 Election in Florida, the many issues that can occur on Election Day came to light and the need to fix them immediately. And so the idea of voter protection, fixing voting rights issues became a very necessary part of the election process. Kurt Young was one of the founding members of the Lucas County Democratic Voter Protection Team. Some campaigns prefer the name promote the vote. For nearly 14 years Kurt and that team recruited, trained and deployed hundreds of attorneys, law students, and later lay persons to observe elections throughout Lucas County. Together they worked with non-partisan and partisan groups, along with the Lucas County Board of Elections. Kurt was appointed many times by the Lucas County and Ohio Democratic Parties, along with several other county parties, to serve as a Board of Elections observer, aka Super Observer, in Congressional and Presidential Elections, including the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections.
In addition to his experience from his law school and undergraduate schooling, Kurt has been part of training led by the Democratic National Committee and The Ohio Democratic Party. He was one of the first fellows of the Ohio Democratic Leadership Institute. He also had the honor of being part of LEAD Ohio's first class from the Buckeye Justice Forum, helping train candidates and campaigns for progressive judicial candidates through out Ohio.
Kurt has served in every role in a campaign from volunteer to paid staff to candidate. He has also served as General Counsel to campaigns at the Congressional and Local levels.
Since 2019 Kurt has served as a Democratic Board Member on the Lucas County Board of Elections. There he received extensive training from the Ohio Secretary of State and the bipartisan Ohio Association of Elections Officials. He helps, as one of four board members, two of each party, provide leadership and oversight to the hundreds upon hundreds of permanent and seasonal employees of the Board. He is extremely proud of what those employees do and to have their backs.
Due to his role with that organization, Kurt can not play a role in any campaign whose district includes Lucas County. But if you need help with getting a campaign set up to comply with the complex web of laws from municipal to county to state to federal that govern campaigns, he might be able to help you out.
Kurt was the first Democrat and the third person overall to receive a Certificate in Applied Politics from the Ray C. Bliss Institute at the University of Akron. This program, named after a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who was an innovator in campaigns, is to teach women and men of all parties how to run campaigns and manage interest groups and staff government officials. As a part of this program Kurt worked on various political campaigns, worked in the district office of a Member of Congress, and even helped the City of Akron Mayor's Office lobby the Ohio General Assembly for funds for a major project, Akron's John S. Knight Convention Center.
In law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Kurt was required to complete research paper to graduate. Kurt's paper was an analysis of Ohio's Campaign Finance System using the law and economics model. Law and economics use economics, specifically microeconomics to look at legal system and see what effects laws will have on society.
After the 2000 Election in Florida, the many issues that can occur on Election Day came to light and the need to fix them immediately. And so the idea of voter protection, fixing voting rights issues became a very necessary part of the election process. Kurt Young was one of the founding members of the Lucas County Democratic Voter Protection Team. Some campaigns prefer the name promote the vote. For nearly 14 years Kurt and that team recruited, trained and deployed hundreds of attorneys, law students, and later lay persons to observe elections throughout Lucas County. Together they worked with non-partisan and partisan groups, along with the Lucas County Board of Elections. Kurt was appointed many times by the Lucas County and Ohio Democratic Parties, along with several other county parties, to serve as a Board of Elections observer, aka Super Observer, in Congressional and Presidential Elections, including the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections.
In addition to his experience from his law school and undergraduate schooling, Kurt has been part of training led by the Democratic National Committee and The Ohio Democratic Party. He was one of the first fellows of the Ohio Democratic Leadership Institute. He also had the honor of being part of LEAD Ohio's first class from the Buckeye Justice Forum, helping train candidates and campaigns for progressive judicial candidates through out Ohio.
Kurt has served in every role in a campaign from volunteer to paid staff to candidate. He has also served as General Counsel to campaigns at the Congressional and Local levels.
Since 2019 Kurt has served as a Democratic Board Member on the Lucas County Board of Elections. There he received extensive training from the Ohio Secretary of State and the bipartisan Ohio Association of Elections Officials. He helps, as one of four board members, two of each party, provide leadership and oversight to the hundreds upon hundreds of permanent and seasonal employees of the Board. He is extremely proud of what those employees do and to have their backs.
Due to his role with that organization, Kurt can not play a role in any campaign whose district includes Lucas County. But if you need help with getting a campaign set up to comply with the complex web of laws from municipal to county to state to federal that govern campaigns, he might be able to help you out.