Government/Politics

Unofficial results show Democratic President-Elect Joe Biden won seven Ohio counties – one less than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. But while President Trump won the state, it appears Biden won more votes than Clinton. Suburban women boosted Democrats in this election but those gains were offset by losses in other areas where Democrats have been successful in the past. 

There are only a few weeks until new charges are set to hit all Ohio electric bills, and there’s still no repeal of House Bill 6, the disputed law that created those charges. Now the attorney general has filed a second lawsuit involving collection of that money.

With Ohio in the third week of COVID hospitalizations setting a new record each day, Gov. Mike DeWine laid out two new health orders and previewed the possibility of a limited shutdown. The announcement got mixed reviews from state lawmakers.

More than a half a million people work in Ohio’s bar and restaurant industry, which is pushing back on an announcement from Gov. Mike DeWine in his statewide address Wednesday that he would consider shutting down those establishments next week if the state’s COVID-19 numbers don’t improve.

Saying the coronavirus is "more intense, widespread and dangerous" than it's ever been and that every single county has a high rate of virus spread, Gov. Mike DeWine announced two new health orders on masks and social gatherings. And he hinted at more to come.

An Ohio Senate committee held a hearing on two different pieces of legislation that address the sweeping energy law, HB6, which creates more than $1 billion in subsidies for nuclear and coal plants. Legislators now have three options in front of them to deal with the bill connected to a $61 million corruption case; keep the law in place, repeal it, or partially repeal the law.

Ohio’s Republican attorney general wants the US Supreme Court to overturn a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling extending the deadline for absentee ballots to be returned in that state.

Two Republican state lawmakers are introducing a bill that they say will crack down on people they call looters and rioters – those who perpetuate violence or damage to property as part of protests. 

President-elect Joe Biden won his race to the White House without carrying several battleground states, including Ohio. That means for the first time in 60 years, the state didn't help pick the president, leaving millions of voters there hoping the election had gone the other way.

Ohio’s COVID-19 numbers have been increasing steadily during the past couple of weeks. Now, doctors are warning if this pace increases any more, it would affect patient care for everyone. 

For the last two weeks, the state has set a record with hospitalizations for COVID-19. And every county in the state of Ohio is considered a “high incidence” county for coronavirus. Health authorities are bracing for the situation to worsen as we go into the holiday season.

As other states continue to tally the votes in the presidential race, President Donald Trump is making unfounded statements about widespread fraud that other leaders say undermines the election process. Ohio leaders have mixed responses to Trump's claims.

A bi-partisan bill to reform school funding is being introduced in the Ohio Senate. This plan is similar to one introduced in the House earlier. 

After announcing a new record in COVID-19 cases and calling this the most dangerous stage of the pandemic, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) named a new leadership team at the Ohio Department of Health, including Stephanie McCloud as the new director.

Experts following the presidential vote count say there’s a good chance Democrat Joe Biden could get the 270 electoral votes he needs soon. And if that happens, Ohio will have, for the first time in 60 years, failed to choose the winner. 

While Ohio's election results show a big win for President Donald Trump, leaders are voicing their support for other states as they continue to count votes in the presidential race. That includes some of the state's top Republican officeholders.

There were no widespread technical problems in Tuesday’s statewide vote. But non-partisan groups who help protect and inform voters say there were some problems in this election, including misinformation, voter intimidation and more. 

President Donald Trump winning Ohio by 8-points over his Democratic challenger two elections in a row has strategists wondering if Ohio is now a solidly red state.

There was good news for two-thirds of the state’s public school districts that had tax levies or other money questions on Tuesday’s ballot. But there are some worries among school officials about the future.

Ohio Republicans are claiming a Donald Trump victory in the state with more than 5.6 million votes cast and counted. The unofficial results are showing Trump with a more than 8-point lead over Democrat Joe Biden. Election night saw the outcomes turn in a little slower than usual with several big wins for the GOP. 

Election Night 2020 was a bad night for Democrats and brought wins for Republicans on Ohio’s Capitol Square. But there were two races with a split decision.

Ohio may not be the battleground state it usually is in a presidential election, since the national focus is likely to be on Pennsylvania. But Ohio’s status as a state that mirrors the national vote – a bellwether – is at stake this time.

A group that supports President Trump is calling on its followers to go to be part of Trump trains in the state’s major cities after 5 pm. The plan is for supporters of Trump to circle those polling places in their cars and trucks, decorated with Trump flags and signage. This is what authorities are doing to make sure voters can still cast ballots.

Many voters lined up at their local polling location around the state to kick-off the last day of voting in the 2020 election. Even with an emphasis on early voting, there were still long lines spotted in Ohio.

FirstEnergy held its first earnings call since announcing the departure of CEO Chuck Jones who was ousted as the result of an internal review related to a federal racketeering investigation. The utility says, although the company is under investigation in possible connection to a bribery scheme, earnings are still up. 

Immigrants make up about five percent of Ohio’s population. More the 270,000 immigrants in Ohio are eligible to vote. But some say the immigration issue is being viewed differently this election.

Thousands of Ohioans cast ballots on the final day of weekend early voting in Ohio – some standing in line for hours. That includes many at the early voting center in the state capital.

Early vote centers throughout the state have been busy all weekend. In fact, they’ve been busy since October 6th when Ohioans could begin voting. The state’s election chief is happy about that. 

Many pollsters say suburban women are the key to this election in Ohio this year. Ever since 2018, political parties have been working to attract women to run for office. And right now, it’s coming down to who can get their voters out to the polls.