Connect with us

Ohio

Campaign to get new political mapmaking system on Ohio’s ballot submits more than 700,000 signatures

Published

on

Campaign to get new political mapmaking system on Ohio’s ballot submits more than 700,000 signatures


COLUMBUS, Ohio — Backers of a proposal to change Ohio’s troubled political mapmaking system delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures on Monday as they work to qualify for the statewide ballot this fall.

Citizens Not Politicians dropped off more than 700,000 petition signatures to Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office in downtown Columbus, according to Jen Miller, director of League of Women Voters. LaRose now will work with local election boards to determine that at least 413,446 signatures are valid, which would get the proposal onto the Nov. 5 ballot.

The group’s amendment aims to replace the current Ohio Redistricting Commission, made up of three statewide officeholders and four state lawmakers, with an independent body selected directly by citizens. The new panel’s members would be diversified by party affiliation and geography.

Their effort to make the ballot was plagued by early delays. Republican Attorney General Dave Yost raised two rounds of objections to their petition language before the wording was initially certified. Then, after the Ohio Ballot Board unanimously cleared the measure in October 2023, organizers were forced to resubmit their petitions due to a single-digit typo in a date.

Advertisement

“It’s just a great day for Ohio and Ohio’s democracy,” Miller said. “Citizens across the state came together to make sure we could get on the ballot this fall and finally end gerrymandering.”

The effort follows the existing structure’s repeated failure to produce constitutional maps. During the protracted process for redrawing district boundaries to account for the results of the 2020 Census, challenges filed in court resulted in two congressional maps and five sets of Statehouse maps being rejected as unconstitutionally gerrymandered.

A month after the ballot campaign was announced, the bipartisan Ohio Redistricting Commission voted unanimously to approve new Statehouse maps, with minority Democrats conceding to “better, fairer” maps that nonetheless continued to deliver the state’s ruling Republicans a robust political advantage.

That same September, congressional district maps favoring Republicans were put in place, too, after the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a group of legal challenges at the request of the voting rights groups that had brought them. The groups told the court that continuing to pursue the lawsuits against the GOP-drawn maps brought turmoil not in the best interests of Ohio voters.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Ohio

Ohio Department of Health finds ‘significant issues’ at Insight Trumbull

Published

on

Ohio Department of Health finds ‘significant issues’ at Insight Trumbull


“The Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) inspection of Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull on Tuesday found several significant issues that need to be addressed before the hospital can re-open, to ensure the health and safety of patients. Insight will need to contact ODH once these issues have been addressed. At that point, we will conduct another inspection to verify the standards have been met,” the statement reads. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Ohio

More rain on the way in NE Ohio: See when you’ll need an umbrella

Published

on

More rain on the way in NE Ohio: See when you’ll need an umbrella


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio finally picked up some much-needed rain to start the week, and more is on the way.

After a soggy Monday and start to Tuesday, conditions will improve through the afternoon. Clouds will linger, but most spots should stay dry with just a slight chance of a stray shower.

This should come as welcome news for the Guardians, who open a three-games series Tuesday night against the Tigers with first place in the AL Central and a possible trip to the postseason at stake.

The lull in precipitation will be short-lived as a new storm system lifts across the Great Lakes Wednesday and brings another round of widespread rain. Showers will spread back into the region during the morning and become steady through the afternoon, with a few thunderstorms possible, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Advertisement

Rainfall totals from this midweek system could reach three-quarters of an inch to more than an inch across parts of Northeast Ohio, according to early projections. Localized higher amounts are possible where thunderstorms develop.

There’s a marginal risk for severe weather in the southern half of Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Any thunderstorms that do develop in Northeast Ohio could still result in heavy rainfall in spots.Courtesy Storm Prediction Center

While they could bring higher rainfall totals, any storms that do develop aren’t expected to be severe, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The strongest risk for severe weather will stay well to the south.

Temperatures Wednesday will be limited to the low and mid 70s because of the cloud cover and rainfall. Lingering showers may hang on into Thursday, with highs again in the 70s.

By Friday and Friday night, high pressure will attempt to build in from the Upper Midwest. That should dry out most of Northeast Ohio, though an isolated shower can’t be ruled out.

Drier this weekend

Weather graphic showing five-day weather forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 23-27
The five-day weather forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, covering Sept. 23 through Sept. 27, 2025.cleveland.com

Fortunately, the rain from the week won’t linger into the weekend for most of Northeast Ohio.

A cold front is expected to sweep across the state on Saturday, which could bring some showers to Lake and Ashtabula counties overnight.

Advertisement

By Sunday, the entire region is expected to be dry, though temperatures will turn a bit cooler. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 70s to near 80 before highs fall back into the low to mid 70s on Sunday and Monday.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.



Source link

Continue Reading

Ohio

Ohio State leads, Texas A&M surges in US LBM Coaches Poll ranking after Week 3

Published

on

Ohio State leads, Texas A&M surges in US LBM Coaches Poll ranking after Week 3


play

Another week of wild finishes and a few surprises shuffled the US LBM Coaches Poll. But once again, the changes didn’t reach the top.

The teams ranked No. 1 through No. 7 hold their positions, though some had an easier time this week than others. Ohio State remains in the top spot, receiving 62 of 67 first-place votes this week. Penn State stays at No. 2 with three No.-1 nods. No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU claim a first-place vote each. Oregon, Miami (Fla.) and Texas also hold steady.

Advertisement

Illinois climbs a notch to No. 8, a season-high ranking for the Fighting Illini on the eve of a key Big Ten clash with No. 17 Indiana. Florida State vaults three places to No. 9. Texas A&M makes the week’s biggest move, climbing seven positions to No. 10 on the heels of its last-minute victory at Notre Dame.

TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 3

The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, tumble from No. 8 to No. 21 as last season’s playoff runners-up are still seeking their first win of the campaign.

It was a rough weekend for the Palmetto State, as both Clemson and South Carolina went down to defeat. The Gamecocks, at least, stay in the poll at No. 24 after losing at home to Vanderbilt. The Commodores, thanks to that victory, make their season poll debut at No. 23.

Clemson falls out of the rankings after being handed its second loss of the young season by Georgia Tech, which also moves into the poll at No. 19. Also joining the rankings are No. 22 Missouri, after lurking just outside the Top 25 last week, and No. 25 Auburn, which edges out Brigham Young by just two poll points. South Florida and Arizona State also drop out.

Advertisement

(This story was updated to change a video.)



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending