Sample phone scripts for calling Representatives on death penalty repeal

• “Hi, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent of Representative ___. I’m calling because I’m opposed to the death penalty and I wanted to express my support for repeal. Ohio has sent 12 innocent people to death row. For every five people Ohio has executed since 1999, one has been exonerated from death row. I hope to see Representative __ vote in support of this bill.”
• “Hi my name is ___ and I live in Representative ___’s district. I’m calling to urge the Representative’s support of the death penalty repeal. The death penalty costs taxpayers millions more versus a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. And for the millions of dollars spent on this system, we have nothing to show for it. The death penalty does not deter crime and it is not an appropriate response to violence. Ohio has over 2,000 unsolved homicides, and I would prefer the state put funding toward solving those cases instead of seeking a punishment that cannot even be carried out.”
• “Hi, I’m calling as a constituent in Representative ___ ‘s district. I want to urge the Representative to support ending the death penalty.  Twenty-three states have now repealed their death penalty. It’s time for Ohio to do the same. We can hold violent offenders accountable without a death penalty system.”
• “Hello, my name is ___ and I’m calling to express my support for ending the death penalty. A majority of Ohioans support repealing the death penalty. I’m part of that majority.  
• Good morning/afternoon, my name is __ and I’m a constituent of Representative __. I’m calling to express my strong support for ending the death penalty. The death penalty is incredibly arbitrary based on race. A study in Hamilton county found that black defendants who killed a white victim were over five times more likely to receive a death sentence than other similarly situated defendants. As our nation grapples with racial injustice, we can and must get rid of this racist and arbitrary system.”