Elections

Lawmakers are off and running on the contentious issue of changing the way the map of Ohio’s Congressional districts is drawn. Reforming that process is meant to stop the practice of gerrymandering, when the lines benefit one party over another. But the outline of a new proposal has caused a rift between several groups.

Former Cleveland mayor, state lawmaker and congressman Dennis Kucinich has taken the first steps toward joining the already-crowded field running for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Now that Treasurer Josh Mandel has announced he’s out of the race for the Republican nomination for the US Senate, there are lots of questions about who might jump into it.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order disbanding the commission he created to investigate what he claimed was millions of fraudulent votes in the 2016 election. But Ohio’s chief elections officer wasn’t a fan of the Election Integrity Commission to begin with.

Democratic candidates for Ohio governor faced off last night in City Club of Cleveland debate held at the Idea Center. Although they criticized Republican leadership in Columbus, one major GOP leader didn’t get much mention.

Two Republicans who were running against each other for governor have decided to team up instead.

This month’s ballot brought out fewer than three in 10 registered voters. But it also brought forward the most expensive ballot issue in Ohio history.  But while money seemed to be a big factor in Issue 2’s defeat, there have been other times when the side with the most money didn’t get the most votes.

After months of speculation, it appears a shake-up in the Democratic race for governor next year is starting. A potential candidate who is likely to be a front runner in that contest has made a big move.

Gov. John Kasich still won’t say whether he’ll be on the ballot again, but he did have some thoughts about how Democrats and his fellow Republicans fared in Tuesday’s election results.

Though there were two statewide issues, several big mayoral and local elections and more than 1500 levies and other issues on ballots across Ohio, Election Night 2017 didn’t bring out voters in big numbers.

Next week’s statewide ballot is topped off by a question about crime and the rights of victims. Issue 2 is well behind the big money involved in the drug price question that is Issue 2. But Marsy’s Law, which would put certain victims’ rights in the state Constitution, still has supporters and opponents with varying concerns about what it would do.

(More on Issue 1 on "The State of Ohio".)

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill has announced he’ll be filing to run for Governor next year – on one condition.  From Ohio Public Radio station WKSU, Kabir Bhatia reports.

It’s likely Ohio’s only statewide elected Democrat will enter the race to become his party’s nominee for governor.

The state budget office says its required analysis of Issue 2 shows Ohio could save money if voters approve the drug price initiative next month. But the report says there are many variables that make it impossible to predict how much the state would save.

The four candidates vying to be the Republican nominee in next year’s governor’s race sat down for separate twenty-minute interviews last night in a Columbus church before a crowd of more than 500 people.  And there was one theme in particular that stood out – and it was about the man they all want to succeed.

Democrats have candidates in each of the five executive statewide offices next year with a Cincinnati attorney’s kickoff of his campaign for treasurer.

The Department of Homeland Security has reached out to elections officials in Ohio and 20 other states, which have confirmed they were targeted by hackers during the 2016 election. But Ohio's chief elections official said he thinks the story isn't as shocking as it may seem.

With around 50 days to go till the November election and no major statewide candidates this year, that’s leaving plenty of space for opponents and supporters of a drug price issue on the ballot to hit the airwaves with millions of dollars in ads. But the main spokespeople for both sides have a lot to say that goes beyond those commercials.

There are nearly seven months till the primary for governor next year. But the four announced Democratic candidates for governor proceeded as if the race is well underway as they met for their first debate last night in Martin’s Ferry on the West Virginia border.

There was a lot of hype built around Rich Cordray’s visit to Cincinnati to speak to labor groups. But that hype fizzled when it was clear that the former Ohio Attorney General had no intentions of announcing a run for governor.

There are four Democrats running for governor next year, but there’s still the chance that former Attorney General Richard Cordray might leave his position at the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and join the race as early as this weekend. Meanwhile, another Democrat has joined next year’s ticket, running for state auditor.

Gov. John Kasich was back on Sunday morning TV, talking about working with Colorado’s Democratic governor on a deal on health insurance. And that work has brought up questions about whether Kasich may be looking at a bipartisan presidential run with John Hickenlooper.

The November election is more than three months away. But there is action ongoing with the issue that’s likely to be the most expensive ballot question in state history – a proposed law that would force the state to only buy drugs at a discounted price.

A Republican candidate for governor believes the momentum is swinging his direction after gaining more support from local leaders. These endorsements have proven to be helpful in recent big elections.

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor says she’s still in the race for governor next year, though over the weekend she missed the largest statewide party event before the May primary.

A Republican challenging a top state leader for the U.S. Senate nomination is throwing his first big swing with a six-figure ad buy. 

Ohio’s top elections official has sent the state’s database of voter information to the White House’s commission on election integrity. But the report left out sensitive data.

The only Democrat holding statewide office in Ohio says he won’t follow through on the run for governor he was considering – because he says his favored candidate will be getting into the race.

Months after she made it clear she would be running for governor, Ohio’s Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor made it official. And she did so in an increasingly rare political forum: an event where the public could – and did – ask some challenging questions.

The vice chairman of President Trump’s Commission on Election Integrity has sent a letter to all 50 states, asking for registered voters’ names, birthdays, political affiliations, voting history and last four digits of social security numbers. Here is how Ohio’s Secretary of State is handling this.