Election 2024
Ohio Redistricting Commission spends Jewish high holy day in doubleheader public meetings
In a region representing a major majority of Jewish communities in the state, the Ohio Redistricting Commission spent the holiest day of the religion’s calendar talking Statehouse maps. The ORC met at Punderson Manor Lodge & Conference Center in Newbury on Monday for a morning and evening public hearing. Democrats said they requested an additional […]
Deportation proceedings at a record clip, but far outstrip court capacity
The number of deportation proceedings against undocumented immigrants set a record for August, but the increases only highlighted the fact that backlogged immigration courts are unable to handle them, according to an analysis released last week. Despite dystopian claims about the southwestern border made by some politicians, many undocumented immigrants are not in the United […]
Ohio Supreme Court approves abortion rights amendment Ballot Board summary for voters with one tweak
The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered one tweak to summary language approved by Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board for voters to see in November on a proposed reproductive rights amendment. The split state supreme court rejected using the full text of the proposed amendment and declared that that summary language that voters will see […]
Analysis: Paying to warm the planet. Corrupt utility law forces Ohioans to make climate worse
It seems crazy that people would be forced to pay to make themselves and their planet sicker. But thanks to a crooked utility law that the Ohio General Assembly refuses to repeal, that’s just what’s happening in the Buckeye State. The notion that rising greenhouse gasses could warm the planet goes back at least to […]
Ohio Sec. of State LaRose’s office move amid U.S. Senate candidacy raises ethical questions
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has decided it’s a good idea to both oversee Ohio’s U.S. Senate election as the state’s chief elections officer and house part of his campaign for the seat in the same building. But the arrangement, which LaRose has done little to explain, raises serious questions about potential conflicts of […]
What’s different about this year’s effort to legalize marijuana in Ohio?
Ohio voters will once again have the chance to legalize marijuana on Nov. 7 — eight years after Ohioans overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made cannabis legal. But there are some key differences between the two. Issue 3 in 2015 was a proposed constitutional amendment and today’s Issue 2 is a […]
GOP remains undecided on co-chair, Ohio Statehouse redistricting on hold again
With a week to go before Secretary of State Frank LaRose says legislative districts need to be set for the November election, uncertainty continues to mire the redistricting process in chaos. Republican legislative leaders still can’t come to an agreement on who should be their representative as co-chair on the Ohio Redistricting Commission, creating a […]
Ohio Statehouse redistricting stalls as commission can’t come up with co-chairs
In a move that was somehow both shocking and unsurprising to many, the Ohio Redistricting Commission wasn’t quite organized enough yet to hold an organizational meeting on Wednesday. The meeting was supposed to be fairly simple: a swearing-in of members, a roll call of attendees, and the presentation of co-chairs to take over the commission’s […]
Former U.S. attorney general warns of Ohio legislative attempts to cut court power
Some state legislatures are working to diminish the power of courts, imperiling the American system of checks and balances, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Tuesday. He used Ohio as exhibit A. Holder, attorney general under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015, warned of an “alarming pattern” in an op-ed published by the […]
As Ohio Statehouse redistricting begins again, mixed opinions on whether things will change
The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet on Wednesday for the first time since May 2022 to discuss Ohio Statehouse voting districts. After well over a year of inaction, and five different Ohio Supreme Court rejections, the commission comes back to work with heavy criticism of previous maps, and a mixed amount of optimism among anti-gerrymandering […]
Study: Rural counties are hemorrhaging population. Immigration can fix that
In Ohio and across the country, 77% of rural counties have been losing working-age people since the Great Recession of 2008-2009, a new demographic analysis says. And if nothing changes, the problem will get much worse, it projects. However, the study proposes a solution — immigration reform. The analysis of Census Bureau and other data […]
Challengers ask Ohio Supreme Court to dismiss congressional redistricting case
The court challengers in a case against Ohio’s U.S. Congressional district map seem to be backing down from the current legal fight. Attorney Don McTigue represents anti-gerrymandering groups fighting against the congressional map approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, which was rejected as unconstitutionally gerrymandered in a 2022 decision by a bipartisan majority on the […]