It just became easier to stay registered in Ohio

We’ve said it a few times already and it bears repeating: The surest way to change government and politics more to one’s liking is for people to organize and vote in significant numbers. While the deadline to register for the Aug. 7 special election for Ohio’s 12th District Congressional seat has passed, there’s still plenty of time before November, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.

And for those who haven’t bothered to vote in years, new directives from Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office make it less likely they’ll be knocked off the rolls.

Under Ohio’s “supplemental process” in place for more than 20 years, if someone doesn’t vote for two years, then fails to respond to a mailed notice and then fails to vote for another four years after that, the state assumes the person has moved and cancels his or her voter registration.

But Husted told county boards of elections on Monday voter registration will be renewed automatically when someone renews a driver’s license or identification card through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles listing the same address as on his or her voter registration.

Also, inactive voters on the brink of cancellation — who were mailed a warning notice, didn’t respond and went nearly four more years without voting — will be mailed another “last-chance” warning 30 to 45 days before they’re canceled, urging them to confirm and update their registrations.

It must be noted that the supplemental process never has permanently taken away anyone’s right to vote; one always can register anew. But for someone eager and motivated to vote for the first time in years, finding out his registration has been canceled — after the registration deadline for a given election has passed — would be bitter, indeed.

So, Ohioans who want to see changes in local, state or national government — and our Inbox tells us there are plenty of those — have every reason to vote and few excuses not to.

You can register to vote or update your registration at myohiovote.com.

Its name may be more embellishment than fact — it might not actually have been Gen. William Henry Harrison’s headquarters during the War of 1812 — but the Harrison House in Franklinton nonetheless is an historic jewel, and we hope the Franklinton Historical Society, area business leaders and the city of Columbus can agree on a plan for renovating it and opening it more to the public.

The city has owned the federal-style brick house at W. Broad and Gift streets since 1980 but hasn’t done much to the structure since then, and Recreation and Parks officials say there’s no money budgeted for restoration or upkeep.

The city wants assurances that the historical society can garner enough support to restore and operate the building. The historical society is working to raise money but says it could use some guidance from the city on how much is needed.

This is an opportunity that cries out for one of the collaborative publicprivate partnerships Columbus is known for. As public and private investment steadily transform Franklinton into a place with a bright future, the powers that be should make the most of this remnant from its storied past.