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Elections Chief Says Nuke Bailout Law Campaign Shows Reform Is Needed

Secretary of State Frank LaRose
Jo Ingles
Secretary of State Frank LaRose

An effort to circulate petitions to repeal the nuclear bailout law known as House Bill 6 has brought out a high-profile opposition campaign with ads and mailers.

And despite repeated calls to reveal their donors, neither the bailout's supporters nor the group that wants to overturn the law has said where they're getting their money.

Ohio's top elections official says anonymity is not warranted in campaigns like this. Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office takes in campaign finance reports, and he says it’s unfair that these groups are allowed to keep their donors private for now - though the anti-bailout group will have to disclose their donors in a few weeks.

“This whole thing about anonymously going out there and filling the airwaves with nonsense. It’s bad government. It’s bad democracy and it needs to stop," LaRose says.

LaRose says most changes would need to be done at the federal level, but he'd support a state effort to require campaign that spends money in Ohio to reveal its donors. But there's been no legislation proposed to do that.

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.
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