October 17

Both sides offer options in redistricting referendum case

Supreme Court gets redistricting referendum case.

By William Hershey, Columbus Bureau Updated 2:06 PM Friday, October 14, 2011

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS — Both sides in the high-stakes legal battle over a referendum on Ohio’s 16 new U.S. House districts Thursday offered the Ohio Supreme Court alternatives to prevent potential electoral chaos.

Lawyers for House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, and Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, said that even if the high court permits the issue to go before voters that it should allow the new districts to be in effect for the November 2012 elections.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the Democratic group calling for a referendum said that if the Supreme Court says “yes” to their request the legislature could adopt a new redistricting plan and move back the scheduled March 6, 2012, primary to give candidates and election officials time to adjust.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/politics/both-sides-offer-options-in-redistricting-referendum-case-1268729.html

Early voting at board of elections headquarters will likely be restricted despite pending referendum on GOP-backed election law

Published: Friday, October 14, 2011, 6:00 AM     Updated: Friday, October 14, 2011, 7:54 AM

By Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With a controversial new state election law on hold, Cuyahoga County voters might have thought they could once again visit the Board of Elections the weekend before election day to cast early ballots.
But it looks like they won't get that opportunity.
A little-noticed provision in another new law about to take effect appears to restrict in-person absentee voting.
As a result, boards of election across the state likely will not be able to hold in-person absentee voting during the three days before the Nov. 8 election, officials said. The option available to voters looking to avoid lines and other election day headaches has been especially popular in Cuyahoga County in recent years.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/10/early_voting_at_board_of_elect.html

Ohio Supreme Court orders secretary of state to consider referendum vote on new Ohio congressional maps

Published: Friday, October 14, 2011, 7:04 PM     Updated: Saturday, October 15, 2011, 2:59 AM

By Sabrina Eaton, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's Supreme Court has cleared the way for a referendum on a new congressional redistricting plan that Ohio Republicans pushed through the state legislature in September.

The unanimous decision announced Friday night throws the state's congressional district lines into confusion and is likely to threaten Ohio's ability to hold its congressional primary in March, as originally planned.
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/10/ohio_supreme_court_orders_refe.html

Ohio's redistricting dustup: editorial

Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011, 8:42 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board The Plain Dealer

An Ohio Supreme Court ruling late Friday consigned Ohio's 16 new congressional districts to limbo, setting the stage for what's likely to be widespread electoral confusion in the 2012 elections.

Mulish partisanship in the General Assembly got Ohio into this mess. Only mature leadership in Columbus -- never plentiful -- can get Ohio out of it.
Redistricting was necessary because Ohio in 2012 has the right to elect only 16 U.S. House members, not the current 18. And Republicans in Ohio's House and state Senate drew 16 new districts -- most notably, squeezing Toledo Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Cleveland's Dennis Kucinich into one snakelike district.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/10/ohios_redistricting_dustup_edi.html

Court ruling throws 2012 elections into chaos

5:41 AM, Oct. 16, 2011  |  

Written by

Howard Wilkinson

Cincinnati Enquirer

The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision to allow Democrats to go forward with a petition drive to stop the Republican congressional redistricting plan has thrown the 2012 congressional elections into chaos.

Candidates for Congress – incumbents and challengers, Republicans and Democrats – will have to sit on their hands for a while to see when they should file and if the districts they planned to file in will even exist.

It is not entirely clear yet, but it would appear now that congressional candidates will file petitions by the Dec. 7 deadline for districts that may no longer exist by the planned March 6 primary.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111015/NEWS01/110160322&Ref=AR

Northside woman in SB 5 ad spurs bill

6:27 PM, Oct. 15, 2011  |  

Written by

Paul E. Kostyu

Enquirer

Democrats, upset with what they think is a misappropriation of Cincinnati great-grandmother Marlene Quinn’s image, plan to introduce legislation to prevent the misuse of campaign material.

But state Rep. Tracy Maxwell Heard, D-Columbus, didn’t have Quinn’s permission to name her legislation the "Marlene Quinn Protection Act." And after a press conference Friday, it’s clear the legislation is still a draft, so an introduction date is not clear.

After Heard’s press conference today, Democrats scrambled to contact Quinn, who said she wanted the legislation named after her great-grand-daughter, so now it is the "Zoey Protection Act." Democrats didn’t include her last name because they weren’t sure what it was -- it’s Quinn.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20111014/NEWS0108/310140056/Northside-woman-SB-5-ad-spurs-bill

REDISTRICTING LAWSUIT PARTIES FILE FINAL ARGUMENTS, AWAIT HIGH COURT RULING ON REFERENDUM BID

Gongwer 10/13/11

The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether the new Republican-drawn congressional districts should be subject to a referendum.
Opponents of the new maps (HB 319 ) and representatives of legislative leaders and Secretary of State Jon Husted on Thursday submitted their final arguments to the court, which plans to rule on the lawsuit based on those briefs rather than hold oral arguments.
Secretary Husted on Wednesday refused petitions from Ohioans for Fair Districts to begin the referendum process on the U.S. House and Senate seats reconfigured per the 2010 Census population counts - and the majority GOP's aims.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news_articledisplay.cfm?article_ID=801980202&newsedition_id=8019802&locid=2

October 13

Dems Stymied in Effort to File Signatures for Congressional Map Referendum

Hannah Report 10/12/11

Ohio Democrats seeking to block a new congressional map designed by Republicans were turned away Wednesday after attempting to file a referendum on the issue.

Democrats attempted to file more than 1,000 signatures with Secretary of State Jon Husted's office and summary language with Attorney General Mike DeWine in order to get the process of collecting signatures for a ballot issue started, but both offices refused to accept the petitions.

"HB319, as passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the governor, contained an appropriation and took effect immediately. It is therefore not subject to referendum," Secretary of State Jon Husted said in a statement.

Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) responded that the rejection by Husted and DeWine was not unexpected.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187395

October 12

Supreme Court sets hurry-up schedule in Dems’ redistricting referendum lawsuit

By William Hershey | Monday, October 10, 2011, 05:08 PM

Dayton Daily News

The Ohio Supreme Court Monday set a hurry-up schedule in the lawsuit a Democratic group has filed to permit a November 2012 referendum on the 16 new U.S. House districts approved by the Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. John Kasich.

The high court also said that House Speaker William Batchelder, R-Medina, and Senate President Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, can join the case as respondents with Secretary of State Jon Husted, also a Republican.

The court’s ruling gave all parties until noon Wednesday to file evidence and briefs and until noon Thursday to file replies.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2011/10/10/supreme_court_sets_expedited_s.html

As Election Day nears, Issue 2 backers, critics ramp up campaigns

John Michael Spinelli

Columbus Government Examiner

October 11, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CGE) - With Election Day less than a month away, backers and critics of Ohio State Issue 2, which performs radical surgery on the state's decades old collective bargaining bill, are making their pitches to pass or defeat the measure. 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has pushed for the changes to the state's collective bargaining bill from his first day on the job, is touring the state, meeting up with other Republican leaders like Ohio House Speaker William Batchelder and Senate President Tom Niehaus in barn appearances.  

Kasich and company say letting SB 5, which limits the bargaining abilities of 350,000 teachers, nurses, firefighters, police and other public workers around the state, stand will help reward teachers who perform and work the hardest and give public managers another tool to control their costs.
http://www.examiner.com/government-in-columbus/as-election-day-nears-issue-2-backers-critics-ramp-up-campaigns

COURT BRIEFS: BRIEFING SCHEDULE SET IN REDISTRICTING CASE; SCHLICHTER PLEADS GUILTY; NEWARK MAN GETS 6 YEARS FOR IRS FRAUD

Gongwer 10/11/11

The Ohio Supreme Court has asked parties to submit briefs in the case involving a potential referendum against the GOP-drawn congressional maps.
Ohioans for Fair Districts, members of the General Assembly and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern are among challengers to the Republican move to attach funding to the legislation (HB 319 ), which in effect would make the new 16-district map effective immediately and not subject to a referendum.
While also allowing House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina) and Senate president Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) to intervene as respondents, the court asked the parties to submit briefs and responses by Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com/programming/news_articledisplay.cfm?article_ID=801960206&newsedition_id=8019602&locid=2

October 11

October 6

Six Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Unveiled in Statehouse Garage

Hannah Report 10/5/11

Capital Square Review and Advisory Board Chairman Richard Finan joined representatives from Clean Fuels Ohio, Eaton, General Motors and Professional Supply inc. on the "green" -- literally and figuratively -- level of the Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage to unveil six electric car charging stations on Wednesday.

Finan thanked Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond), Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) and Gov. John Kasich for their support of the project and touted that no public funds were used for the installation of the devices.

“With the growing number of electric cars, Ohio needs to take a lead in promoting energy conservation,” Finan announced to the gathering.

Resembling a mixture of an ATM machine and a gas pump, the charging stations were funded by Clean Fuels Ohio and the U.S. Department of Energy, manufactured by the Eaton Corp. and are designed for public use.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187328

October 4

McLin joins Dem effort to permit referendum on new U.S. House districts

By William Hershey | Monday, October 3, 2011, 01:48 PM

Dayton Daily News

Former Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin is part of a committee of Democrats asking the Ohio Supreme Court to permit a referendum on the 16 new U.S. House districts approved by the Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Ohioans for Fair Elections, the committee, contends that the sections of House Bill 319 creating the new districts are subject to a referendum.

The legislation also includes an appropriation for $2.75 million to help local boards of elections make changes needed for the new districts. The Ohio Constitution says that appropriations are not subject to referendums and also take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/ohiopolitics/entries/2011/10/03/mclin_joins_dem_effort_to_perm.html

October 3

Map redrawn for senate districts

By Julie Carr Smyth
Associated Press

Published: September 30, 2011 - 10:33 PM

COLUMBUS: A state panel charged with drawing Ohio’s new legislative districts voted unanimously Friday to restore portions of a historically black state Senate district in Cleveland to address what the leader of the legislative Black Caucus said were civil-rights concerns over boundaries approved earlier this week.

The state Apportionment Board voted 4-0 at an emergency meeting on the change requested by state Rep. Sandra Williams, who heads the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Williams said she lobbied House Speaker Bill Batchelder for the changes on her own, not at the behest of the caucus. She said the caucus never discussed the issue.

The changes place two Ohio House districts on Cleveland’s west side back into Senate District 21, making its voters more than 35 percent black, and places some east-side suburbs back in District 25.

Republican Gov. John Kasich, who chairs the board, said the meeting had to be held hastily to meet a Saturday deadline.
http://www.ohio.com/news/ohiocentric/map-redrawn-for-senate-districts-1.237894

Statehouse adds car plug-ins

Six charging stations for electric vehicles will be unveiled on Wednesday morning

By  Dan Gearino

The Columbus Dispatch Saturday October 1, 2011 6:04 AM

Drivers of electric vehicles soon will be able to plug in when they come to the Ohio Statehouse.

The Statehouse staff is overseeing the installation of six charging stations at the parking garage underneath the building.

This is at least the second initiative of its type in central Ohio, following the installation of a station at the Walmart store at Easton this summer.

But it may be the first in the country to be installed at a statehouse, staff members said.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/10/01/statehouse-adds-car-plug-ins.html

Ohio GOP lawmakers pushing anti-labor bill collecting perks, benefits they decry in unions

Republican SB5 supporters refused to cut own salaries, some are 'double-dippers'

By Dustin Ensinger | 09.30.11 | 12:47 pm

AmericanIndependent.com

To hear Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R) tell it, he and his colleagues in the Ohio General Assembly are nearly in the poor house.
“I know a lot of people in my caucus who are frankly underpaid,” he said in June, after his caucus led the charge in ramming a bill through the Legislature that strips nearly all Ohio public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
But data compiled by Innovation Ohio shows Ohio lawmakers that supported Senate Bill 5 are hardly living on ramen noodles and taking the bus to work.
http://www.americanindependent.com/196692/ohio-gop-lawmakers-pushing-anti-labor-bill-collecting-perks-benefits-they-decry-in-unions

State Board to consider adjustments to Cleveland-area Senate lines

Hudson Hub Times

October 2, 2011

by Marc Kovac | Capital Bureau Chief
Columbus --The Ohio Apportionment Board will reconvene to adjust state Senate district lines in the Cleveland area, two days after giving what was thought to be final approval for new state legislative maps.
Gov. John Kasich, who heads the five-member board, agreed to have members come back into session to act on an amendment requested by the head of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.
Rep. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland, asked that two Senate districts in Cuyahoga County be reconfigured to include different House districts (each state Senate district includes three Ohio House districts) to better represent minority communities.
http://www.hudsonhubtimes.com/news/article/5103539

Apportionment Board OKs Williams' Request on Cleveland Senate Districts

Hannah Report 9/30/11

The Apportionment Board voted Friday to amend the General Assembly maps it approved earlier this week, adopting a change sought by Rep. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland), president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, to preserve the 21st Senate District's status as Cleveland's majority-minority Senate seat.

The move makes the 21st Senate District include House Districts 9, 10 and 11, as opposed to the plan approved Wednesday, which had it composed of the 8, 10 and 60 districts. With Friday's vote, Senate District 25 will include districts House Districts 8, 12 and 60, compared to Districts 9, 11 and 12 under the map approved Wednesday.

The board had been prepared to approve those changes Wednesday, but House Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) objected, saying they weren't what he thought Williams wanted.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187284

Ohio Statehouse Adds Electric Vehicle Chargers to Parking Garage

Hannah Report 9/30/11

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board will unveil six electric vehicle charging stations that have been installed on the green level of the Ohio Statehouse Underground Parking Garage during a short ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5.  Scheduled participants include Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) and Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina).

Based on initial staff research, the Ohio Statehouse is the first statehouse in the country to be equipped to provide electric vehicle charging stations to the public. The electric vehicle charging stations were made possible through a grant from Clean Fuels Ohio and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as contributions from Honda of America, General Motors, the Eaton Corporation and Professional Supply, Inc. No state funds were used to install the Ohio Statehouse electric car charging stations.

The total cost of the project is $35,770.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187292

 

REDISTRICTING/REAPPORTIONMENT

Hannah Report 9/30/11

In the space of six days, the Apportionment Board unveiled, discussed and approved new General Assembly maps for the next decade, but the board was set to reconvene Friday just before its constitutional deadline to squeeze in last minute changes. Wednesday's vote to approve the maps featured miscommunication and confusion among board members and the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, with proposed changes to Senate Districts 21 and 25 dropped after House Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood), the board's sole Democrat, said the changes weren't in line with the wishes of the black caucus president, Rep. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland). But Williams later responded that she had requested the changes Budish objected to, which would have shuffled House districts between the two Senate districts, making the 21st District majority minority, rather than the 25th. Gov. John Kasich scheduled a new board meeting to address Williams' concern at the urging of House Speaker Bill Batchelder (R-Medina), although the respective incumbents in the 21st and 25th Senate Districts, Sens. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) and Nina Turner (D-Cleveland), objected to Williams' proposal. Batchelder's statement calling for a new meeting said the board could also take up "some technical amendments" at the Friday meeting.
http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=187298