Latest news with #Gavarone
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio Republicans using fake ‘noncitizen voting' problem as a false pretext to make it harder to vote
Stock photo from Getty Images. 'What is the problem trying to be solved with (Ohio) Senate Bill 153?' asked a speaker testifying before a senate committee last week on yet another Republican measure to make voting harder in the state. It was a rhetorical question. Kelly DuFour, the voting and elections manager at Common Cause Ohio, knew the proposed legislation wasn't drafted as a solution to any glaring flaw in Ohio elections. So did the overflow crowd hastily assembled in the middle of a day (with little advance notice from the committee) to register overwhelming opposition to SB 153. So did the two GOP state senators who co-sponsored the legislation, Bowling Green Republican Theresa Gavarone and Andrew Brenner of Delaware. They see the same data on statewide voting the public does. They know rampant voter fraud or noncitizens casting ballots en masse is not an Ohio problem. They know the checks and balances that scrupulously safeguard the administration of free and fair elections in the state routinely produce problem-free elections with 99.9% accuracy. They ought to know the 2020 presidential election was not stolen in Ohio from the sore loser whose lies led to a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Gavarone and Brenner also ought to know that there is not a scintilla of evidence that noncitizens are brazenly violating federal and state election laws at the polls. Ohio officials who combed through years of voting records in the state were able to identify only six possible noncitizens — one of whom was dead — who cast ballots out of 8 million registered voters between 2008 and 2020. A Brennan Center analysis concluded that 'even if every one of those cases is proven, that's less than one noncitizen vote in a million in any given election.' Even Ohio's partisan hack/elections chief Frank LaRose acknowledged the infinitesimal percentage of potential voting cases involving noncitizens were probably due to mistakes, i.e., being wrongly registered, and not intentional. Why would noncitizens, who risk much to live free, jeopardize everything with nefarious subterfuge at the polls? They wouldn't and don't. Proof is the handful of supposed infractions flagged over a 12-year period in Ohio that will likely never rise to prosecutable offenses. The reality is Buckeye elections have been laudably conducted with meticulous rigor to diligently ferret out any suspected discrepancies or irregularities. County boards of election across Ohio report that voter fraud is virtually nonexistent in the state — no noncitizens voting, no voter impersonation, no drop box sabotage. But that hasn't stopped the Ohio Senate's most prolific sponsor of anti-voting legislation from proposing ever-restrictive solutions to nonexistent election problems. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Gavarone is a career climber who jumped on the Trump propaganda train about rigged elections that weren't and never looked back. After the Big Lie took hold among MAGA faithful, she and other Trumpian opportunists amplified the deception to advance voter suppression measures in state and federal government. The senate majority floor leader joined Republicans in statehouses across the country to exploit the unfounded doubt seeded by Trump and his GOP toadies to delegitimize democratic elections long considered the envy of the world. Like other MAGA Republicans angling for attention, Gavarone used the Republican-planted mistrust over (baseless) election fraud rhetoric with a spate of bills, including one that produced the strictest voter ID law in the nation and led to the current Senate Bill 153, arguably her most extreme effort yet to limit voting in Ohio. As a second term senator, Gavarone religiously parrots her party's talking points about 'working to improve the integrity and confidence of Ohio's elections' as though she really believes them and the charade she adopted in the wake of Trump's lawless attempt to overturn a legitimate election. Her hollow justifications for manipulating the phantom menace of pervasive voter fraud to enact severe voting restrictions that purportedly strengthen 'trust and integrity in our institutions' are a parody of trust and integrity. But her latest handiwork, with co-sponsor Brenner, is a manifest assault on the voting rights of all Ohio voters. It mirrors the travesty passed by U.S. House Republicans — the so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or SAVE Act — that would severely restrict voting access by making it harder for all American citizens and registered voters to cast a ballot. They'd have to provide documentary proof of citizenship in person to register or update their voter registrations for federal elections. Convenient registration options by mail, online, at the BMV, and community options would be eliminated, forcing voters to register only at county election boards. The SAVE Act (which saves no one) would disproportionately impact women who've changed their names, rural residents, older Americans, Black voters, military personnel, people with disabilities, and students. Gavarone's SB 153 creates the same hoops for those voters and worse. It bans ballot drop boxes so 'people don't have the ability to sabotage our elections' — despite zero drop box threats in the state. It hobbles direct democracy with new barriers for statewide citizen initiatives and referendum campaigns. It creates impossible bureaucratic and financial burdens on county boards of election. What made-up election problem is Ohio Senate Bill 153 is trying to solve? None. 'It's about keeping people who don't agree with the people in power from voting,' wrote an alarmed voting advocate in Gavarone's hometown. Nailed it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What ranked choice voting is, and why some Ohio lawmakers are trying to ban it
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Lawmakers in Ohio are working to ban local governments within the state from using ranked choice voting. Senate Bill 63 would prohibit any elections in Ohio from being conducted by ranked choice voting. Any local government found to be using ranked choice voting would have its state money withheld. The ban on ranked choice voting would also apply to party primary elections. Investigation alleges Kroger overcharges customers on items advertised as on sale Lawmakers in the Ohio Senate voted 27-5 on Wednesday to pass the bill, which would largely ban the use of ranked choice voting in the state. Ranked choice voting is a method where voters rank the candidates on their ballots in order of preference. If no candidate reaches a majority of votes, the last-place candidate is defeated, and those who had the defeated candidate as their first choice would then have their second-highest choice elevated in the next round of voting. This process generally repeats until one candidate has received a majority of votes, or until the same number of candidates are remaining as there are available seats. Ranked choice voting is sometimes referred to as 'instant runoff voting,' which avoids making voters return to the polls to cast another ballot in races where the leading candidate only has a plurality of the vote, rather than the majority. Ranked choice voting is used statewide in Maine and Alaska, plus in dozens of other cities across the country, according to FairVote, a nonprofit that works to 'research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.' No cities in Ohio currently use ranked choice voting. Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) introduced the bipartisan bill in January. 'Ranked choice voting distorts election outcomes, which inherently leads to uncertainty in our results,' Gavarone said in a statement when the bill was introduced. 'If this idea came to Ohio, it could, as it has in other states, delay election results, decrease voter turnout, and create confusion among voters, diluting their voices at the ballot box.' According to FairVote, New York City's first election with ranked choice voting had the city's highest turnout in 30 years, but the full impact ranked choice has on voter turnout is still unknown. The organization said it's hard to compare elections when studying the effect ranked choice voting has on turnout since primary and runoff elections generally have lower turnout anyway, plus there are other factors such as competitive campaigns and media attention that are at play. Cities in Ohio with the most UFO sightings Ohio's ranked choice voting ban would not apply to municipalities or chartered counties in accordance with a 1923 Ohio Supreme Court ruling. Gavarone said that ranked choice voting would 'undo two centuries of voters having the ability to cast their vote with one vote and one voice, and alter our elections to look similar to the way it's done in New York City and San Francisco.' DeMora called ranked choice voting 'cumbersome, confusing, and unnecessary.' Rank the Vote Ohio, an organization that is pushing for ranked choice voting in the state, said ranked choice voting expands voter choice, ensures the winning candidate has a majority of support, and promotes more diverse candidates. 'In our current system, many candidates are pressured to drop out, shamed as 'spoilers,' and excluded from public debates,' the organization said. 'Ranked Choice Voting welcomes all candidates into the race — and you can't win if you don't run.' The bill must now pass the House before it goes to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Erie County peace officers now allowed to use EpiPens
SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) – On Monday, the Erie County Sheriff's Office began issuing epinephrine auto-injectors, or EpiPens, to deputies for the first time ever as an additional means to help save lives when there is no time to waste. In their patrol vehicles, peace officers across the state have carried tourniquets, bandages, Narcan and other first aid items in addition to being able to use CPR training to help save lives. But there are times when law enforcement officers arrive at the scene of a medical emergency even before an ambulance, and Sheriff Paul Sigsworth believed it was important for them to also have the ability to use EpiPens in the event of an individual suffering from a life threatening episode of anaphylactic shock After meeting with local paramedics and emergency room physicians, he reached out to Ohio Senator Teresa Gavarone, who was immediately supportive. Popular supplement sold on Amazon recalled 'I was shocked when seconds can mean the difference between life and death that that wasn't allowed,' said Gavarone, who sponsored Senate Bill 234, giving properly trained peace officers that authorization. Gavarone said her enthusiasm for sponsoring the legislation was rooted in her own personal experience with a daughter who suffers from tree nut allergies and has experienced severe episodes of anaphylaxis since she was very young. Among those who Sigsworth consulted was Dr. Donald Spanner of University Hospitals in Cleveland. 'I always tell our paramedics during training about the ones who die, die instantly, within minutes and terrible stories of children who get into nuts or get stung by a bee. Those people literally die on the scene and our only hope for these patients is the first line providers. Not just the EMTs and not just the paramedics, but the police who are there frequently before everyone,' said Spanner. 'I do believe it's going to be beneficial in the more rural areas, but it's not to say it wouldn't happen even in the areas that are covered by full time departments,' said Captain Dean Gasser of the Margaretta Township Fire Department, who was also consulted as a part of the process. Sigsworth said, in most all cases, the patients already know their history and they also already know what they have been exposed to that triggered their episode. 'Normally what happens is we will get a 911 call and usually it's the patient themselves and they say, 'I just got stung, I just ate some food, I'm having an allergic reaction,'' said Sigsworth. Invasive, parasitic fish in Great Lakes thrived during COVID-19 That information would help peace officers when deciding if using the EpiPen is appropriate. The legislation requires peace officers who are issued EpiPens to complete anaphylaxis training. Erie County's EpiPens were provided by University Hospitals. The effort there was supported by Firelands Health. Sigsworth said the medication would not be issued to someone who is already unconscious. 'We are not the medical experts. We don't pretend to be. We are certainly not trying to replace paramedics, but all we can do and what we want to do is preserve life until they can arrive and get them into a clinical setting where hopefully they can have a positive outcome all the way around,' said Sigsworth. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Republican senators propose eliminating drop boxes, requiring proof of citizenship for voting
Photo of a voting booth by WEWS. Two Republican Ohio state senators want to eliminate drop boxes for absentee ballots and require Ohioans to show proof of citizenship to vote. The proof-of-citizenship requirements trigger when voters register or update their existing registration. So, registered voters won't notice any changes until they update information to reflect changes like a new name or address. If everything goes smoothly, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will already have citizenship documentation on file. But if not, county boards of elections will start sending notices, and pretty soon prosecutors could get involved. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX If a voter doesn't respond to a pair of notices sent over the course of four weeks, the secretary of state must cancel their registration and refer the case to the attorney general. The same goes for voters who proactively cancel their registration after receiving the notice. Ditto if they vote provisionally and then fail to provide citizenship documents within four days of the election. Similarly, if a county board receives a registration form from someone who's ineligible — even in error — the board must refer the case to the county prosecutor. In the name of security, the measure also eliminates ballot drop boxes and codifies an attestation form requirement for anyone dropping off another person's ballot. State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, told a committee, 'It's simple.' 'If you're a citizen, you can provide proof of your citizenship, you can vote in our elections — it's really that easy,' she said. And in many cases verifying citizenship will be simple. But if the BMV doesn't have the correct information — for instance, because of a name change through marriage or divorce — voters could be sent scrambling. Noncitizen voting is very rare in Ohio and America. Not having proof of citizenship isn't. A University of Maryland study suggests more than 21 million Americans don't have up-to-date citizenship documents on hand. Asked what documents would qualify, Gavarone herself stumbled and didn't mention naturalization certificates. In the case of name changes, the bill requires an underlying proof of citizenship document as well as a marriage license or court order. Her cosponsor, state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, argued 'ballot drop boxes are a major weakness in our elections, as they allow for anyone at any time, to tamper with ballots.' He pointed to a handful of ballot drop boxes firebombed in the Portland, Oregon area. In one case, hundreds of ballots were destroyed. In another, a fire suppression system saved all but three ballots. But both sponsors overstate the threats they're addressing while papering over the harms their legislation could cause. For example noncitizen voting is extremely rare, so it's hard to see what problem the lawmakers were trying to fix with the proof-of-citizenship requirement. Gavarone argued a recent Pew study showed '90% of Americans support a citizenship requirement to vote,' and lamented that 'sadly, we have groups who think this isn't necessary, or some who believe that we should allow noncitizens to vote.' But that study didn't ask about requiring proof of citizenship, and its results do more to undermine Gavarone's allegation about some people wanting to allow noncitizens to vote. Far from pointing to support for noncitizen voting, Pew pollsters found 90% of respondents said it's very or somewhat important to stop it from happening. Although Trump voters put more emphasis on the issue, 85% of those who supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris said it was important to them. Pressed to identify examples of damage to Ohio drop boxes, Brenner's biggest complaint was people throwing trash in with ballots. But he warned that could spoil votes, too. 'The point is, if you put all your eggs in one basket,' Brenner said, 'they have potential to be destroyed.' In addition to pushing back on proof of citizenship and drop box changes, Democrats on the committee seemed skeptical about a provision requiring a special badge for paid signature gatherers. State Sen. Willis Blackshear, D-Dayton, asked if organizers should be punished because a canvasser lost a badge. State Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, asked how they expect to police it for small-scale campaigns like liquor options. Brenner acknowledged liquor issues might not ruffle feathers but argued 'having that paid circulator notification a badge to show that you are one, I think that that can prove that, hey, this could be an outside group influencing peoples,' you know maybe, ideas of what is being put on the ballot. And I think that is an important transparency factor.' Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio legislators want to increase penalties for passing stopped school buses
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio legislators are trying to increase penalties and awareness when it comes to school bus safety. State Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) introduced Senate Bill 62, the School Bus Safety Act. State Reps. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) and Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) introduced House Bill 3 under the same title. Both bills would increase penalties for passing school buses illegally. See previous coverage of lawmakers hoping to increase school bus safety in the video player above. Under the S.B. 62, illegally passing a stopped school bus would spur a civil penalty of $300, $50 of which would go to a newly created school bus safety fund. The remaining $250 would be paid to the organization in charge of the bus, such as a local school district, which would have to use the funds for bus safety initiatives. Ohio lawmakers want to allow parents to claim conceived children on income taxes H.B. 3 goes even further, designating passing a stopped school bus as an unclassified misdemeanor. This would raise fines for violations to a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $1,000. Repeat offenders could be eligible for fines between $350 and $2,000. Currently, state law permits fines up to $500. All fines collected would go to the school bus safety fund. Both bills would establish the school bus safety fund within the state treasury, which would award grants to school districts to improve bus safety further. The fund would also be used by the Department of Education and Workforce to promote school bus safety awareness. Both S.B. 62 and H.B. 3 would also designate August as 'School Bus Safety Awareness Month.' The bills state funds generated by this legislation could go to eligible school bus safety features. Current Ohio law says nothing about external bus cameras, but S.B. 62 would encourage their use. It does clarify that districts using camera technology would have to use them across all routes. External bus cameras Crossing arms Lane departure warning systems Electronic stability control Lighted mirrors Safer and approved bus frames Fully illuminated stop arms Collision avoidance systems Ground lights Reflective chevron Approved seat belt systems Ohio lawmakers renew push to regulate imitation meat and egg products S.B. 62 bill also states if a vehicle's driver cannot be identified, the car's registered owner could face the $300 civil penalty. H.B. 3 states that repeat offenders could also face class five suspensions of their drivers licenses, which could range from six months to three years. S.B. 62 had its first Senate committee hearing on Feb. 19, during which Gavarone addressed the Judiciary Committee and reminded members that the State Highway Patrol issued more than 16,000 citations for school bus and zone violations between 2018 and August 2023. 'No parent should ever have to worry about their child traveling to and from school,' Gavarone said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
