Theresa Gavarone
Voting rights orgs demand funding for photo ID education efforts
Ohio’s new photo voter ID law takes effect in a little more than a week. Voters head to the polls for a primary election less than a month after that. Voting rights advocates are organizing to help educate Ohioans about the new requirements. They argue the changes could have a dramatic impact on communities whose […]
Ohio Senate begins hearings for supermajority amendment, August elections
Ohio state senators began hearings Tuesday for their measure to impose a 60% supermajority to pass constitutional amendments. If the proposal passes both chambers with the support three-fifths of members, it goes to the ballot. The sponsors of the resolution are also backing a bill to revive August elections — just in time for their […]
Ohio senators working to resurrect recently eliminated August elections to fight abortion amendment
Only about three months ago, Ohio lawmakers passed a wide-ranging elections bill that will require voters present a photo ID when they cast a ballot. But it didn’t start out that way. Lawmakers bolted on the photo ID requirements only at the last minute. The bill began as a proposal to eliminate August special elections. […]
‘DATA Act’ would create consistency in Ohio voting records, supporters say
Officials from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office put their weight behind Senate Bill 71 this week. The DATA Act would create uniform definitions for various voter data and codify specific record-keeping standards. Democrats worry about the influence of a Donald Trump-aligned think tank. Mandi Grandjean spoke on behalf of Secretary Frank LaRose; she serves […]
Ohio state Sen. Gavarone introduces bills to investigate voter fraud and clean up election data
A pair of priority voting measures for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose got their first committee hearing Tuesday. Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, is sponsoring both proposals on the heels of passing new voter ID restrictions late last year. Gavarone’s first bill, SB 51, creates a new Election Integrity Division answering to the Secretary […]
Campaigns brimming with optimism ahead of Tuesday election
In the final weekend of the midterms, every campaign believes the race is coming their way. Whether honest assessment or false bravado, they’ll readily explain how this poll or those returns are good for their prospects. From the outside looking in, it’s as though the biggest threat now is not a gaffe or a new […]
Lawmakers team up with Northeast Ohio medical school to combat mental health worker shortage
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. As Ohio continues to suffer from a mental health professional shortage, lawmakers have teamed […]
Bill to expand paid parental leave in Ohio would impact virtually no families
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. A bill meant to expand paid parental leave in Ohio won’t impact the vast […]
Measure expanding reliance on cash bail gets first hearing in the Senate
The Attorney General-backed bid to change limits on cash bail got its first hearing in the Ohio Senate Tuesday. The effort comes as a direct response to a state supreme court ruling and would require a constitutional amendment to take effect. The purpose of bail is to ensure defendants return to court for their trial […]
Lawmakers roll out proposed constitutional amendment that could increase cash bail
Ohio Republicans may be lining up behind a constitutional amendment requiring judges to consider public safety when setting the amount of bail. The proposal is going before lawmakers as a joint resolution backed by Reps. Jeff LaRe, R-Violet Township, and D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, in the House and Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Huron, in the Senate. They […]
Ohio makes it easier to get firearms despite rise in gun violence
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. Gun violence has been steadily increasing in the City of Cleveland […]
Bills seek party labels on ballots for Ohio Supreme Court
When voters cast their ballots for the Ohio Supreme Court, the justice candidates are not labeled by party affiliation. That could change if a new bill proposed by a pair of Northern Ohio Republicans is successfully enacted. Senate Bill 80, introduced by Republican state Sens. Theresa Gavarone of Bowling Green and Jerry Cirino of Kirtland, […]