elections
Ohio House committee advances amendment supermajority provision and elections bill
An Ohio House committee advanced two controversial voting measures Monday without additional debate, one to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments to 60% and the other for various election administration provisions. The 7-5 Republican-to-Democratic party line votes put both proposals on track for a full House vote later this week. In previous hearings, numerous speakers […]
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice wants legacy with judiciary, not with party
As Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor takes her leave from the state’s top court position, she takes with her a fierce loyalty to an independent judiciary and fervent belief that she couldn’t have done the job alone. What she’s boxing up with the trash is any desire for partisanship or politics. “You don’t […]
Opponents line up against Ohio House elections bill for photo voter ID as GOP readies a vote
House lawmakers faced stiff opposition Wednesday as hearings continued for two controversial voting measures. Proposals to impose voter ID requirements and establish a higher threshold for passing constitutional amendments still appear poised to pass, however. The same committee will hear both measures Thursday and a vote on both is likely. After more than two hours […]
Ohio Republicans launch effort to make citizen-led amendments harder to pass for voters
Lawmakers raised two ideas Thursday with massive implications for Ohio voters. One is an initiative requiring citizen-led constitutional amendments gain a 60% supermajority at the ballot for passage, the other is a House bill aimed at rewriting the underlying infrastructure of how the state conducts elections. State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, joined Ohio Secretary of […]
Gen-Z voters worry about possible age restrictions if Ohio Issue 2 is passed
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. Issue 2 on Ohio’s 2022 general election ballot is worrying some Gen-Z voters, due to […]
The important role of secs. of state in administering fair elections is changing. Not in a good way
By Thom Reilly, Arizona State University The state officials who administer fair, accessible and secure elections have historically operated quietly without garnering much public attention. Elections happen, votes are counted, the winners are declared and democracy moves on. But since 2020, secretaries of state and other state officials who oversee elections have come under increasing […]
Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections
Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage voters from casting ballots altogether. As the 2022 midterms get closer, political attacks in campaign advertisements are on the rise. In November, Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime cartoon video showing him physically attacking Rep. Alexandria […]
Election officials make their voices heard as battleground states debate voting laws
When Georgia legislators pushed through a restrictive voting bill during the 2021 session, Bartow County election supervisor Joseph Kirk said he felt frustrated and sidelined. Lawmakers largely didn’t take election officials’ views into account, he said, and what resulted was a law that included a number of provisions that he said election officials believe are “to the […]
Voting Rights Act is hanging by a thread; FL ruling may allow Supreme Court to cut it
In an exceedingly rare federal ruling striking down restrictions on voting that the GOP-dominated Florida Legislature approved last year, the state has effectively been placed on probation. In the March 31 ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker struck down central provisions of that law, SB 90, approved at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis. […]
Early voting starts today. Here are the basics
Despite drawn out legal battles over district lines for state legislative and U.S. House seats, yes, there’s still a May 3 primary in Ohio. Monday was the final day to register to vote in time to participate in the May 3 primary. Early voting starts Tuesday. Here are some of the basics from there. May’s […]
Decline in federal grant funding for local elections criticized by advocates
WASHINGTON — The $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress last week includes $75 million in Help America Vote Act grants — a major reduction compared to years past. Experts say the $75 million is insufficient to fund local elections and leaves local election offices without resources to improve election infrastructure and protect the […]
Governor appoints former lawmaker to elections board who hyped up 2020 voter fraud claims
Gov. Mike DeWine appointed a former lawmaker to a state board that oversees political campaigns who has publicly amplified debunked notions of election fraud in 2020. Christina Hagan-Nemeth, who served in the Ohio House before mounting two unsuccessful congressional bids, was appointed Tuesday to the Ohio Elections Commission. Her term runs through the end of […]