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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate advances ranked choice voting ban
A ballot counter machine. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.) With minimal debate last week, the Ohio Senate advanced a measure effectively prohibiting ranked choice voting in the state. 'Effectively' because state lawmakers actually can't ban the practice. Instead, Senate Bill 63 threatens to withhold an important stream of state funding for any local government that embraces ranked choice. The proposal's sponsors are bipartisan, and although the bill passed easily the vote split the chamber's Democrats. Five of the Senate's nine Democrats voted no. The bill now moves to the Ohio House where there is no companion legislation. State Sens. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, sponsored the measure, and both made their pitch to fellow senators when it came up for a vote. Gavarone said she's spent much of her time in office working on elections-related legislation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Ranked choice voting flies in the face of that commonsense work by causing greater uncertainty and delayed election results that can take days or even weeks to settle,' she argued. Gavarone said the process reduces turnout and creates confusion among voters and administrators. Apparently referencing a forthcoming article, she argued 1 in 20 voters mismark their ballot in some way. She added that in 2024, several states with ballot measures enacting a ranked choice system rejected those proposals. DeMora defended their bid to deprive ranked-choice municipalities of state funding. 'It doesn't outlaw them, it doesn't say they can't do it. It just withholds state funds for those that do it,' he said. 'May sound harsh, but it's necessary. Ranked choice voting is expensive, confusing, and time consuming.' DeMora noted Cuyahoga County elections officials have testified elections equipment around Ohio isn't built to handle ranked choice elections. And he pointed to local elections in Portland, Oregon in which more than 100 candidates ran for city council and almost 20 ran for mayor. 'That's not voter empowerment. It's voter overload,' he argued, 'The result — roughly 20% of all Portlanders, did not vote for any council candidate, and nearly 15% didn't vote for mayor.' Following the vote, Senate President Rob McColley argued that states that instituted ranked choice like Alaska have had buyer's remorse. Although the vote was close, Alaska voters actually decided to keep their ranked choice system last November. Still, McColley argued ranked choice 'doesn't do what it markets itself as doing.' He rejected the idea that through multiple rounds of counting, ranked choice arrives at a winner with majority support. 'What you're doing instead is you're saying this is the person that people ranked in their top however many choices,' he said. 'It doesn't necessarily mean it's the best candidate, it doesn't necessarily mean that a majority got it.' As the bill moved through committee, ranked choice supporters far outnumbered those speaking in favor of the ban. The group Rank the Vote Ohio helped organize that opposition and advocates for ranked choice around the state. They've made some inroads, but those successes have been modest. Charter review committees in two cities, Cleveland Heights and Lakewood, have recommended putting a ranked choice charter amendment on the ballot. A handful of others are considering similar moves, and organizers are trying advance a charter amendment in Cincinnati. Rank the Vote Ohio Executive Director Denise Riley said Gavarone and DeMora are presenting an incorrect account of ranked choice voting 'to justify subverting the Ohio Constitution to suppress voters' choices.' 'These senators have ignored the pleas from their constituents to stop spreading electoral disinformation, despite ample testimony refuting their lies,' she argued. Riley pushed back on claims that ranked choice delays results. 'The majority of RCV jurisdictions,' she said, 'release preliminary results the night of or day after the election, just as other cities do.' Riley noted delays often have to do with allowing time for absentee ballots to arrive, not the time it takes to tabulate ballots Riley rejected claims that procedure reduces participation, pointing to Maine's nation-leading turnout in 2022 and a report published by the American Bar Association. She dismissed arguments about voter confusion noting several states in which exit polling showed voters understood what they were doing. 'Hopefully the Ohio House and Governor Mike DeWine won't be tricked into subverting the Ohio Constitution based on lies,' Riley said. For what it's worth, the sponsors' testimony was at times misleading. Although several states did reject ranked choice voting last year, two of those cited by Gavarone (Montana and Arizona) weren't voting on ranked choice — they were considering different versions of open or so-called 'jungle' primaries. That approach puts candidates from all parties on a single ballot with some number of top vote-getters advancing to the general election. And DeMora's complaints about voters not casting a ballot in a given race, known as an undervote, is at best disingenuous. He misspoke when it comes to Portland's mayoral race — the analysis from OregonLive he relied on put the mayoral undervote at 11%, not 15%. Based on a comprehensive report from county election officials it appears that count includes undervotes and overvotes, where a voter marks two candidates at the same rank. The actual undervote was less than 7%. Regardless, it's not uncommon at all in local races for voters to leave a race blank. Consider the 2023 mayoral and city council races right here in Columbus. Roughly 15% of voters left the mayor's race blank — the same amount DeMora mistakenly cited in Portland. And in Columbus' city council races, the undervote was staggering. While Portland saw roughly 20% of voters leave council races blank, in Columbus the undervote ranged from 44%-77%. Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. 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
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.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers are trying to increase penalties on illegally passing a stopped school bus
School buses. (File photo from Sandusky City Schools website.) A pair of bills in the Ohio General Assembly have been proposed by lawmakers to try to curb the number of people who illegally pass a stopped school bus. Ohio Senate Bill 62, introduced by Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, would authorize — but stops shy of mandating — the use of school bus camera equipment. Ohio's law currently neither specifically authorizes nor prohibits the use of cameras on a school bus. 'The goal of this legislation is to deter those from putting our children at risk through the reckless action of passing a stopped school bus,' Gavarone said Wednesday in her testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 'At the end of the day, making the decision to pass a stopped school bus illegally is selfish and dangerous.' Ohio House Bill 3 goes a step further by making passing a school bus a misdemeanor with a fine that would range from $250 to $1,000. Repeated offenses could lead to a license suspension, a required safety course and a $2,000 fine. The current penalty for illegally passing a stopped school bus in Ohio is between $0-$500. Ohio state Reps. Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, and Bernie Willis, R-Springfield, introduced the bill, which has yet to have a hearing in the House Transportation Committee, but Willis is the chair of that committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Both bills would authorize the use of school bus cameras and create the School Bus Safety Fund in the state treasury. S.B. 62 creates a $300 civil penalty for drivers who pass a stopped school bus illegally. Fifty dollars would go to the School Bus Safety Fund in the state treasury. The remaining $250 would go to the school districts to purchase and maintain cameras for the school buses, although the bill does not require buses to have cameras. It's up to the school districts to decide if they want cameras on buses for all their routes. 'The idea is that the ones who will be funding this will be those who decide to take the reckless action of illegally passing a stopped school bus,' Gavarone said. 'No parent should ever have to worry about their child traveling to and from school.' The Ohio State Highway Patrol issued more than 16,000 citations for passing stopped school buses from 2018 to August 2023, Gavarone said in her testimony. 'That is more than 16,000 times a child's life was placed in danger due to the reckless action of a driver,' she said. 'I would emphasize that this is just citations issued, the number of people who have taken the action of passing a school bus illegally is much higher as it is often difficult to identify the driver or get a clean read of the license plate.' Twenty-eight states — including Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee — have passed similar legislation, Gavarone said. The Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group issued 17 recommendations about a year ago, but requiring seat belts on buses was not one of them. Neither of these bills require seat belts on school buses. Seat belts are optional on large school buses weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Only eight states require seat belts on school buses: New York, New Jersey, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
