Ohioans are coming together to protect statewide access to early voting. In order to reverse the state legislature’s new rules restricting early access to the polls, volunteers need to collect 231,000 signatures before September 29th.

Vanessa is one of those volunteers—she’s spent the last few weeks circulating petitions on and around the University of Toledo campus.

“My job is to create awareness about the bill and get enough signatures to make sure the people of Ohio get a say in the early voting rules. I’m a recent university graduate, so I’ve enjoyed being on a college campus—I love the energy, and I love talking to students.”

Vanessa says getting folks engaged has been the most challenging part of her job so far—and the most energizing.

“If they give you enough time to really explain the bill, they’re usually a little shocked to hear that it’s going on. They can’t believe it just got slipped in so quickly, and they’re thankful that we’re doing this work so they can keep their rights.

“Young minds do want to be involved, and they do want to know what’s going on. They care about their future and their state, so having the chance to educate and talk to people has been a lot of fun for me.”

If you live in Ohio, find out where you can sign the petition to protect early voting rights. And no matter where you are in the country, you can follow @OFA_OH on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest Ohio news.