gerrymandering
Gerrymandered Ohio Statehouse gives voters no recourse through initiated statute, only constitution
In order to understand the bad faith of the Republican arguments for attacking Ohio voters and asking us to enshrine 41% minority rule over our Ohio Constitution, voters need to understand the power dynamics at play when it comes to initiated statutes versus amendments to the Ohio Constitution. In Ohio, citizens have two options for […]
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost jumps into Florida abortion fight
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 14 other attorneys general are arguing in federal court that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was within his powers when he removed a local prosecutor who had spoken out against the state's restrictive new abortion law. But the group that represents Ohio's local prosecutors doesn't seem to agree with that claim, expressing worries that the Florida case threatens the principle of "prosecutorial discretion:" that faced with many possible crimes and limited time and resources, prosecutors need great latitude to decide which cases are most wisely brought.
Poll: majority of GOP lawmakers want to cut voter access to Ohio Constitution
A majority of Ohio’s Republican lawmakers want to make it harder for voters to amend the state Constitution. But significantly fewer think it’s something Ohioans would support at the polls, according to a Gongwer-Werth poll published on Friday. Some Ohio House Republicans — and Secretary of State Frank LaRose — are reviving a measure that […]
The political strategy against Ohio abortion rights: Manufacture hysteria and stack the deck
The political strategy to try to defeat Ohio’s proposed abortion rights amendment is wildly obvious: Manufacture hysteria over a slippery slope legal fallacy about parents rights, and use all levers of power at every level to stack the deck against Ohio voters and in favor of right-wing extremists. The first tool in stacking the deck against […]
Frank LaRose’s Ohio model: Illegal gerrymandering and ruthlessly attacking voters at every turn
Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose is slated to appear Saturday at the ultra-right wing, back-slapping Washington D.C. CPAC conference on an election panel titled, “They Stole it From Us Legally.” LaRose is there to promote what he likes to call the “Ohio Model” for elections, which Ohioans now know from first-hand experience includes […]
Former Ohio chief justice teases involvement in redistricting reform
Last week, in one of her first public appearances since leaving the Ohio Supreme Court, former chief justice Maureen O’Connor maintained her pledge to help reform redistricting. As the head of a court who rejected seven different Ohio redistricting maps, including five Statehouse and two U.S. Congressional maps, O’Connor is moving forward with her next […]
Big Ohio redistricting changes before 2024? Don’t count on it, experts say
New Ohio Statehouse and U.S. Congressional maps are due this year, just like they were last year. But political scientists in the state aren’t holding out hope that major changes are coming. “It really is the ultimate political Groundhog Day without the redeeming learning that Bill Murray had,” said David Niven, political science associate professor […]
Ohio Redistricting: The Sequel
The new year could include many different developments in the redistricting arena, but one thing is for sure: new maps have to be on the agenda. But this time around, majority leaders may not have as much trouble getting maps through the current approving authority: The Ohio Supreme Court. With the departure of Chief Justice […]
Economists: Mental health, social spending will pay for itself
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed package of expanded mental health services has drawn the near-unanimous approval of a panel of Ohio economists, according to a survey released this week. But one questioned how likely it is to actually happen. DeWine in November renewed an earlier proposal to use $85 million in unexpended federal coronavirus aid […]
Ohio groups oppose possibility of U.S. Supreme Court taking up state redistricting
The U.S. Supreme Court still hasn’t decided whether they’ll take up Ohio’s redistricting case, but voting rights advocates and a national anti-gerrymandering group have submitted statements against the lawsuit. In the case, GOP leaders in the state have asked the nation’s highest court to rule on whether or not the Ohio Supreme Court had the […]
Checks on Ohio GOP’s gerrymandering to be tested in U.S. Supreme Court case being heard Wednesday
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman is on pins and needles. The U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week on an elections law case that could make his life as Ohio’s premier despot a lot easier — or not. The highly anticipated Moore v. Harper is brought by Huffman’s kindred spirits in the Republican-controlled North […]
In official count, Democrat wins last undecided Ohio House race, now headed for automatic recount
In official election results from the Franklin County Board of Election, Ohio House Democratic incumbent Richard D. Brown looks to have won the only remaining undecided race, meaning that Republicans will control the House 67-32 instead of 68-31. The official results for Ohio House District 5 show Brown received 17,429 votes, or 50.21%, compared to […]