Issue 1
Is Frank LaRose proving that Ohio needs a neutral, non-partisan elections chief?
What would the NCAA do if the head referee in the Ohio State-Michigan game spent his free time leading rallies and fundraisers for the Wolverines? Even if he assured fans he’d be neutral for the game itself, Buckeye nation would never believe him. This scenario just happened in the political arena, in the campaign surrounding […]
LaRose pushes unfair, inaccurate language for voters on November Ohio reproductive rights amendment
Play fair or play dirty. Issue 1 showed Ohio voters how state Republicans play when they can’t persuade. Extremists know most Ohioans support the right to abortion within limits. The outright ban on abortion gerrymandered pols seek is wildly unpopular. Convincing rational minds otherwise is pointless. So Ohio’s GOP overlords cheat to win. Lawmakers rushed […]
A warning told again: Politics and religion don’t mix
In a special election on Aug. 8 scheduled by a gerrymandered, authoritarian legislature intent on manipulating low voter turnout during a hot summer, Ohio citizens went to the polls and did something extraordinary in these fractious times. They upheld democracy. The election was to approve a ballot issue that made it nearly impossible to amend […]
Mostly silent on Issue 1, Ohio Gov. DeWine now gears up for debate over abortion rights amendment
In the wake of Issue 1’s failure, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is turning his attention squarely on an abortion rights amendment voters will consider in November. Unlike with Issue 1, DeWine appears much more interested in making a case to voters. The governor insisted the amendment doesn’t square with what he believes the majority of […]
Blame game: Issue 1 supporters pointing fingers after resounding loss
As the dust settled on election night, Republicans who led the push to restrict constitutional amendment initiatives with Issue 1 began making excuses, shifting blame and promising retribution. Instead of placing a period on a disappointing months-long campaign, they offered an ellipses — steadfastly refusing to acknowledge their effort was out of step with Ohio […]
Ohio’s Issue 1 goes down to defeat
The Republican-led effort to make amending Ohio’s constitution more difficult has failed. As of 11:45 p.m., unofficial results for the Aug. 8 special election show voters rejected Issue 1 57% to 43%. The Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. While precincts were still reporting late into the night and absentee ballots will continue […]
Scramble for August election brings issues to hard-working poll workers
In events that election monitors said were indicative of the scramble to put together an August election rapidly, poll locations across the state had issues ranging from machine malfunctions to removed campaign signs. But the issues were largely resolved and didn’t amount to significant problems at the polls. Election watchers said the issues didn’t show […]
Ohio voters reject Issue 1 constitutional amendment changes, the Associated Press projects
Ohio voters have rejected state Issue 1, which sought to make it harder for voters to pass constitutional amendments, the Associated Press has projected. The full counting of unofficial results is ongoing, but the AP has officially projected that the “No” side has won. As of 10 p.m., with three-fourths of precincts counted statewide, the […]
Final early vote tally shows nearly 700,000 Ohioans have already voted
After nearly a year of political wrangling, Ohioans decide today whether to make it harder to both bring amendment proposals and to amend the state constitution. But many have already banked their votes. This year’s August special election — typically a sleepy, low turnout affair — has seen historic turnout already. Nearly 700,000 Ohioans cast […]
Have a question or issue at the polls during Ohio’s special election? Look for the helpers.
The August special election takes place Tuesday to decide whether or not it will be harder to amend the Ohio Constitution. For voters, there are volunteers, from clergy and social workers to election protection advocates at the polls to answer questions or report issues. “One of the things we know is that there are likely […]
New voting locations pitch in for Ohio’s unexpected August election
On Tuesday, Ohioans head to the polls to vote on whether future constitutional amendments should face a heightened threshold for passage. But for some, the typical election day routine will look a tad different. To say Tuesday’s special election was unexpected is an understatement. Lawmakers scrapped such elections at the end of last year and […]
Election to stop out-of-state special interests funded by out-of-state special interests
The election that Republicans say will stop out-of-state interests groups from meddling in Ohio has primarily been financed by out-of-state interest groups. The dollar signs keep going up to fund each side in Ohio’s Aug. 8 special election. “You’ve got to have money, obviously, to get your message out,” state Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) […]