Older news: 2008 Apr - Sep Sep 30: Big donations roll into AG’s race COLUMBUS --"Democrat Rich Cordray and Republican Mike Crites are both getting big checks from individual contributors willing to back their campaigns to become Ohio attorney general, according to a study by Ohio Citizen Action on Monday, Sept. 29. Between Jan. 1, 2007 and Aug. 31, 2008, the average individual contribution to Cordray was $703, compared with $975 for Crites, the study said. Of the 1,207 individual contributions to Cordray, only 187 were for $50 or less. Crites, who started fund-raising Aug. 11, received seven contributions of $50 or less out of 42 contributions from individuals. At the other end of the spectrum, Cordray received 38 contributions from individuals of $5,000 or more, Crites received three contributions of $5,000 or more, and Owens received one," Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News. AG race attracts big bucks COLUMBUS -- "Generous donors are dominating the Attorney General's special election this year, according to a study released today by Ohio Citizen Action. 'Although no one could have predicted the (Marc) Dann scandal, Richard Cordray was financially prepared for this opportunity," said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics Project. "Cordray began raising money almost immediately upon assuming the office of State Treasurer. He had already raised $268,901 by the time Marc Dann resigned'" Jon Craig, Cincinnati Enquirer. Sep 30: Thomas Suddes: Public Utilities Commission needs to feel pressure of ballot COLUMBUS --"Voters should elect the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. They refused the right to in 1982, when utilities spent a bundle to defeat a ballot issue, and legislators of both parties re-dressed the PUCO's windows, setting new 'qualifications' for commissioners. As Columbus charades go, it was one of the better ones. Thirteen states (Virginia is closest) elect utility commissioners. There's no assurance an elected commission would prune Ohio rates. In fact, rates might rise a little, academic studies suggest. (Utility honchos donate to commissioners' campaigns.) But an elected PUCO would give Ohioans names and faces when the state lets utilities nick checkbooks -- and, via chronic power failures, wreck daily routines. Over the past five years, the Consumer Price Index has risen an annual average of 3.6 percent. But, over four years, Ohio homeowners' utility rates have risen an annual average of 7 percent. Rounding off pennies, in 12 cities, this month's 'apples-to-apples' residential utilities totaled $247; in 2004, the same bill had been $186," Thomas Suddes, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 30: Franklin County absentee period opens with rush of first-time voters COLUMBUS --"Franklin County opened 35 days of early voting this morning with a rush of voters marking their first-ever ballots for an American president. "I've been waiting to vote for a long time," said Jacob Foskuhl, 18, an Ohio State University freshman from Dayton. He wasn't referring to the all-night campout with friends who are volunteering with him for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. That wait was fun: The 30 students popped up tents outside Veterans Memorial and ordered pizza. They danced in the early morning rain," Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 30: Three courts rule on absentee issue Registering, voting on same day OK'd, under watchful eye COLUMBUS --"Three courts issued separate rulings yesterday in disputes between Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Republicans about the rules for absentee voting starting today in Ohio, with both sides vowing to appeal. The bottom line: At least for now, Ohioans who register to vote also will immediately be able to cast an absentee ballot, and observers will be allowed to watch. The rulings generally upheld Brunner's interpretation of state law. The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama plans to have voters spend the night in front of Veterans Memorial to be the first in line when absentee voting in Franklin County starts at 8 a.m. today. Republican nominee John McCain's campaign also sees early voting as a chance to reach out to Democrats and independents as well as Republicans," Mark Niquette and Tim Doulin, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 29: Ohio Citizen Action releases study about contributions to Candidates for Ohio Attorney General COLUMBUS --"Large donors take center stage in the Attorney General race this year, according to a study released today by Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics Project. From January 2007 through August 2008, the average contribution from individual donors to the major candidates for Attorney General was surprisingly high. The average individual contribution for Democrat Richard Cordray during this time period was $703.04; Republican D. Michael Crites $974.94. The average contribution from individual donors to all Ohio candidates for statewide and legislative office during the same time period was $292.96. “Although no one could have predicted the Dann scandal, Richard Cordray was financially prepared for this opportunity,” said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics Project. “Cordray began raising money almost immediately upon assuming the office of State Treasurer. He had already raised $268,901 by the time Marc Dann resigned.”... The presidential campaign provides contrast to the attorney general race. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has raised half of his money in contributions under $200. Senator John McCain received 32% of his total support from individual donors in increments of $200 or less. Cordray raised 4.8% of his total support from individual donors in increments of $200 or less; Crites 4.3%; and Owens 26.8%," Ohio Citizen Action. Campaign finance profile for Richard Cordray Campaign finance profile for D. Michael Crites Campaign finance profile for Robert M. Owens Full Study Ohio Citizen Action. Sep 29: Two courts uphold Ohio's early voting policy; third ruling awaited COLUMBUS --"Two courts today upheld Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's interpretation of law regarding the start of early absentee voting Tuesday. Meanwhile, a hearing was ongoing before a federal judge in Columbus who changed his schedule to decide the case more quickly. The competing lawsuits involve Brunner's directive that Ohioans who register to vote may immediately cast an absentee ballot during the overlap period between the start of early voting Tuesday and next Monday's voter-registration deadline," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Federal judge upholds early same-day registration and voting in Ohio Associated Press. Blog: Judge OKs voters registering and voting absentee at once Peter Krouse, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 27: State officials want answers on Ohio State tickets COLUMBUS --"The Ohio secretary of state’s office today officially turned up the heat on former Rep. John Widowfield, asking him to explain what happened to nearly $9,500 in Ohio State football tickets that he purchased with campaign money between 2002 and 2007. Widowfield, a Cuyahoga Falls Republican, resigned from the legislature in May when investigators began probing his scalping of Ohio State football tickets for personal profit after they were purchased with campaign funds. J. Curtis Mayhew, campaign-finance administrator for the secretary of state's office, had expected Widowfield to refer his own case to the Ohio Elections Commission. But that didn’t happen, so on today he send Widowfield an official audit letter asking him to confirm that the tickets were used for a 'legitimate, necessary, ordinary or verifiable purpose.' Widowfield has 21 days to respond," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Sep 26. Sep 26: Agency eases records policy Threat of discipline, other limits removed at governor's urging COLUMBUS --"The Ohio Department of Public Safety has revised a public-records policy that one expert denounced as restricting employees' free speech and inviting denial and delay in releasing records. The pending changes were announced Wednesday after The Dispatch raised questions about the public-records policy with the office of Gov. Ted Strickland. The policy was changed in response to reviews by the governor's office and others inside and outside the Public Safety Department, spokesman Thomas Hunter said. The policy adopted June 26 put 3,944 Public Safety employees on notice that they would face discipline if they informed the public of the existence of public records or suggested that anyone file a records request," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 26: Court rejects records request Lawyer seeking all of two lawmakers' e-mails went overboard, justices rule COLUMBUS--"A Columbus lawyer's attempt to obtain all e-mails and other communications from a pair of state representatives is 'overly broad' and should be denied, a unanimous Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday. But the justices dodged a more dicey legal issue: whether lawmakers must cough up communications from their private e-mail accounts and text messages that deal with public issues. That question was avoided because Rep. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro, voluntarily provided some e-mails from her personal account," Darrel Rowland, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 26: 2 Ohio justices step aside on early voting cases Justice Maureen O'Connor Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton COLUMBUS --"Two Ohio Supreme Court justices removed themselves Thursday from cases involving challenges to early voting procedures, clearing the way for a Democrat to join the all-Republican court making decisions with partisan implications in a hotly contested swing state this presidential election. Justices Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Maureen O'Connor stepped down from deciding a challenge to a weeklong period beginning Sept. 30 during which new voters can register to vote and cast an absentee ballot on the same day. The justices also recused themselves from two separate cases in which voters are challenging Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's decision to reject absentee ballot applications administered by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain because they weren't filled out properly. Per normal protocol, the two justices did not provide a reason for stepping aside. But both Republicans are running for re-election on this year's ballot," Stephen Majors, Associated Press. Posted Sep 25. Sep 26: Lawsuit backs 'same-day' voting COLUMBUS --"With one lawsuit pending in the Ohio Supreme Court regarding the first week of absentee voting, several voting-rights groups have filed a separate lawsuit in federal court over the same dispute. It involves the overlap between the start of absentee voting Tuesday and the Oct. 6 voter-registration deadline. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has directed that citizens can register and immediately cast an absentee ballot during that time. Republicans cried foul, saying that amounts to illegal "same-day" registration and voting, and that Ohio law requires citizens to be registered for at least 30 days before they are eligible to vote. That's the basis of the Ohio Supreme Court lawsuit," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 26: Analysis: Ohio "Check-Box" Lawsuit COLUMBUS --"On September 17, Republicans sued Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner after she issued a memorandum to local boards of election instructing them to reject allegedly flawed absentee ballot applications that had been designed, printed, and issued to voters by the McCain-Palin campaign. According to Brunner, the applications were flawed because voters failed to place a check mark in a square that was printed beside the following statement on the application form: "I am a qualified elector and would like to receive an Absentee Ballot for the November 4, 2008 General Election." Brunner argued that the applications of voters who had failed to place a check in this square could not be honored because Ohio law requires applicants to indicate on the application form that they are qualified electors. Two days later, Republicans sued Brunner again, in an action that appears, thus far, substantially identical to the first," Nathan Cemenska, Election Law @ Moritz. Sep 25: Thousands in Lucas County could face problems in voting LUCAS COUNTY --"Thousands of voter registrations in Lucas County - potentially close to 50,000 people - have the wrong addresses on file with the Lucas County Board of Elections, which could affect their ability to vote on Nov. 4. Nearly 18,000 mailed notices of election that advise voters of the upcoming election and the address of their polling places have been returned by the U.S. Postal Service to the board of elections as undeliverable. On top of that, approximately 30,000 notices that were undeliverable in January have not been corrected. Linda Howe, executive director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said if voters didn't get the legally required 60-day notice about the Nov. 4 election sent out in early September they should call her office or visit the Ohio Secretary of State's Web site to find out if their address is correct. The board of elections' phone number is 419-213-2070," Tom Troy, Toledo Blade. Sep 25: Governor's review prompts revision of public records policy COLUMBUS --"The Ohio Department of Public Safety has revised a public-records policy that one expert denounced as restricting employees' free speech and inviting denial and delay in releasing records. The pending changes were announced yesterday after The Dispatch raised questions about the public-records policy with the office of Gov. Ted Strickland. The policy was changed in response to reviews by the governor's office and others inside and outside the public-safety department, said spokesman Thomas Hunter," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 25: GOP criticizes advisory of Ohio elections chief COLUMBUS --"Republicans attacked Ohio's top elections official Tuesday after the Democrat told counties they aren't required to allow third-party election observers at in-person absentee ballot drop-off sites. State law provides for such observers when absentee ballots are processed and counted, but not when they are cast, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said in an advisory to county elections boards. The November election marks the first time Ohio has allowed any voter, without giving a reason, to cast the early, absentee ballots for a presidential election. They can be cast by mail or in person at county elections boards offices or other sites," Associated Press. Sep 24: Ohio attorney general hopeful says foe wasted state funds GOP’s Crites claims Democrat Cordray has spent $1.8M a year to promote himself COLUMBUS --"Republican attorney general candidate Mike Crites yesterday accused his Democratic opponent, Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, of spending $1.8 million a year in taxpayer funds to promote himself. 'This is a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars from someone who claims to be the guardian of the public treasury,' the former U.S. attorney for southern Ohio said. Mr. Crites, of Delaware, Ohio, entered the race late and has not matched Mr. Cordray’s campaign largess going into a special election in which neither candidate is well-known," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. Blog: AG candidates fight public relations battle Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 24: 55,637 more signatures needed to put payday lending issue on ballot COLUMBUS --"Payday lenders have 10 more days — until Oct. 3 — to gather the additional 55,637 valid signatures needed to get their issue on the Nov. 4 ballot. They want a vote to repeal a key portion of a new law limiting annual interest rates to 28 percent, down from 391 percent. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said on Tuesday, Sept. 23, that petitions they submitted had 185,729 valid signatures, short of the 241,366 required. That represents 6 percent of the vote in the 2006 governor's race," William Hershey, Dayton Daily News. Payday issue can't make ballot yet Darrrel Rowland, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 23: Brunner defends her ruling on pre-election overlap COLUMBUS --"Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is opposing a lawsuit that challenges her directive allowing citizens to register to vote and cast an absentee ballot at the same time from next Tuesday through Oct. 6. Two Republicans sued Brunner in the Ohio Supreme Court on Sept. 12, arguing that her directive governing the overlap between the start of early absentee voting and the end of voter registration violates a state law requiring a voter to be registered for 30 days before they become eligible to vote. Brunner filed her response yesterday, saying that the overlap has existed since at least 1981 without problems (it has taken on greater significance with the move to 'no-fault' absentee voting in 2006) and that her directive doesn't violate the law," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 23: McCain adviser sues Ohio over absentee ballot issue COLUMBUS --"An adviser to John McCain's presidential bid is suing Ohio's elections chief, saying requests to vote by mail are not being honored. William Todd, a lawyer helping the Republican campaign on ballot issues, filed suit in Columbus on Monday. He argues that Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has been unfairly rejecting voters' applications for absentee ballots. In the lawsuit, voters Paul Doucher and Deloris Eagle say they wanted to vote by mail, as allowed by law. But they did not check a box that indicated they are qualified voters," Associated Press. Sep 22: Ballot timing delays testing for Cuyahoga County voting equipment CLEVELAND --"Only six weeks from the presidential election, Cuyahoga County can't guarantee its new voting system will work because the machines haven't been fully tested. That has some people worried, given Cuyahoga's history of election-night calamities and Ohio's status as a crucial swing state in the race between presidential hopefuls Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain. Full-scale testing cannot begin until the ballot is finalized, which won't happen until petition signatures are verified in Columbus to put a statewide payday-lending issue on the ballot. The county Board of Elections' testing will not finish until late October, mere days before the Nov. 4 election, leaving little time for fixes.... 'I do think Cuyahoga County's new equipment is a real significant concern,' said Dan Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University and associate director of Election Law @ Moritz. 'You can always expect to have some glitches when you're using new equipment,'" Joe Guillen, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 22: Absentee voting changing nature of elections WASHINGTON DC --"Election Day will be something of an afterthought for tens of millions of Americans -- they'll be voting well ahead of time. In fact, six weeks out from Election Day, some voters in Kentucky, South Carolina and Virginia already are done. Ohio changed its election law in 2005 to allow any registered voter to cast an absentee ballot beginning Sept. 30. Nationwide, about a third of the electorate is expected to vote early this year, thanks to expanded early-voting provisions and fewer restrictions on absentee voting, researchers say. In all, more than 30 states allow any registered voter to cast an early ballot, some in person and others by mail," Stephen Ohlemacher and Julie Pace, The Columbus Dispatch. Ohio's Presidential Election History Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 22: Blog: Thomas Suddes: Public trough is accommodating too many ex-legislators COLUMBUS --"Not since 1990 have grocery prices risen so fast, says a Chicago Federal Reserve newsletter. President Bush, using your money, is buying the U.S. government two shaky mortgage banks and AIG, a huge insurance combine. And here in Ohi-a, the Powers That Be in Columbus are fighting unemployment (the state's latest unemployment rate was 7.4 percent) by finding jobs . . . for members of the legislature," Thomas Suddes, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Sep 21.                      Sep 22: Blog: Ohio's a big target for political polls; results can be confusing WASHINGTON DC--"Wonder if your fellow Ohioans are feeling differently this week about Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama than last week? Not to worry. So many political experts are monitoring the mood swings of Ohio voters that rarely a day goes by without a fresh poll measuring what Ohioans are thinking. The only problem: Making sense of so many poll numbers can be daunting. In the past two weeks, more than a dozen polls of Ohio voters were released. Most showed McCain ahead, but several showed Obama ahead. Does that mean McCain is really ahead? Not necessarily, say polling experts," Elizabeth Auster, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Posted Sep 19. More pollsters interviewing by cell phone Mark Blumenthal, Pollster.com. Sep 20: Blog: 13,000 payday signatues will be tossed COLUMBUS --"About 13,000 signatures collected by California-based Arno Political Consultants on behalf of payday lenders will be tossed out, because the company’s supervisors failed to file the proper paperwork. The tossed names, in addition to an already high invalidation rate of signatures collected by other companies, including the Ohio Petition Company, means the payday lenders referendum effort is expected to initially fall short of the 241,366 names needed to qualify for the November ballot. However, the payday coalition, Ohioans for Financial Freedom has been collecting additional signatures for a few weeks. It can submit them 10 days after the initial signatures are certified. Payday opponents expect the issue to ultimately make the ballot," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch Payday lenders toss 12,000 signatures in Ohio ballot effort Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 19: New citizens, new voters COLUMBUS --"Carmen Ladman used to plan her trips home to El Salvador around her country's presidential elections so she could vote. After becoming a U.S. citizen yesterday, she won't have to travel so far to cast her ballot this year. She will vote in America for the first time. 'How important this election is for this country made me apply (for citizenship) to vote,' said Ladman, 52, who has lived in the United States 12 years. 'I'm a believer that we all have to do something. 'If I don't participate in the process, I don't have the right to say this is right or this is wrong.' Ladman, of Worthington, was among 300 people who became citizens yesterday at a ceremony at Veterans Memorial. Many of the new Americans, ranging in age from 18 to 79 and hailing from 73 countries, completed voter-registration forms afterward," Sherri Williams, The Columbus Dispatch Sep 18: Important voting dates to know Vote early Sept. 30; register by Oct. 6 CLEVELAND --" Ohio voters face an opportunity and a deadline. Sept. 30 is the first day to vote early in this fall's election. Oct. 6 is the last day to register in time for this election. But it's never too soon to apply for either process. You must register to vote in Ohio if you haven't registered here before under your current name and address. You may also need to register again if you haven't voted since 2003. You may register at almost any public agency in Ohio, including municipal offices, public schools and public libraries. ," Grant Segall, Cleveland Plain Dealer Sep 18: Payday loan petitions rife with invalid names So many signatures are tossed, short-term lenders may have to solicit again COLUMBUS -- "If preliminary numbers hold, it appears payday lenders will have to start looking for more signatures in order to qualify their referendum for the November ballot. And the shortfall would get worse if Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner decides to toss out all signatures gathered by one of the group's paid petition collectors because of an apparent paperwork violation. The payday lenders' group, Ohioans for Financial Freedom, turned in about 422,000 signatures two weeks ago, far more than the 241,366 valid signatures needed to make the ballot. Those names must come from 44 of Ohio's 88 counties," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch Sep 18: Ballot-application case goes to court COLUMBUS --"Two voters in Hamilton County asked the Ohio Supreme Court yesterday to order Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to accept disputed applications for absentee ballots mailed by the McCain presidential campaign. The lawsuit was filed after the Hamilton County Board of Elections rejected more than 1,500 of the applications on the basis of a memo from Brunner. "We don't believe there was anything legally wrong with these applications," said Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann, who is acting as an adviser to the complaining voters," Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch Sep 17: Payday petitions are short on valid signatures 57% rate needed to qualify for ballot COLUMBUS -- " Columbus- Payday lenders are likely to fall short in their initial effort to gather the valid signatures needed to qualify an issue for the statewide ballot that could eliminate a 28 percent cap on the short-term, high-interest loans. That's the you-do-the-math news from Ohio's largest counties, which reported to state elections officials rates of validity on payday lending petitions ranging from a meager 38 percent in Montgomery County to 58 percent in Mahoning County. In Cuyahoga County, election officials said just under 50 percent of the signatures were valid. Payday lenders have turned in about 422,000 signatures and need 241,365, which means they need about a 57 percent validity rate to qualify for the ballot. But the November ballot issue is still very much alive as petition pushers will get a second 10-day window to round up signatures once they are notified by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office that they have fallen short. That notification would likely come later this week, according to her office," Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer Sep 17: Secretary of State touts optical scan ballots during Akron talk AKRON -- "Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the state's top election official, likes to compare Ohio voters to Indiana Jones, the fictional archeologist/action hero. She knew voters would still keep the state in play in the March 2008 primary election, with a hot Democratic race between U.S. senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, despite 10 Ohio counties facing flooding, others hit by ice storms and power outages, misprogrammed voting machines and even two bomb threats. It is those complex machines that Brunner, speaking recently to the Akron Press Club on the University of Akron campus, wants to replace with all-paper optical scan ballots. Half a dozen states and some Ohio counties already have made the switch," Dave O'Brien, Auroraadvocate.com Sep 16: Fighting rumors makes them worse, study finds Correcting misinformation increases its power, especially among conservatives COLUMBUS -- "Have you seen the photo of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin brandishing a rifle while wearing a U.S. flag bikini? Have you read the e-mail saying Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was sworn in to the U.S. Senate with his hand placed on the Quran? Both are fabricated -- and are among the hottest pieces of misinformation in circulation. As the presidential campaign heats up, intense efforts are under way to debunk rumors and misinformation. Nearly all these efforts rest on the assumption that good information is the antidote to misinformation. But a series of new experiments shows that misinformation can exert a ghostly influence on people's minds after it has been debunked -- even among people who recognize it as misinformation. In some cases, correcting misinformation serves to increase the power of bad information," Shankar Vedantam, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 16: Web could aid overseas voter turnout Brunner advocates Internet voting, quashing law requiring mail-in ballots WASHINGTON DC -- "Here's the short answer to the question of whether this is the election when U.S. troops serving overseas will finally be able to easily and successfully vote in large numbers: No. But Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said during a military and overseas voters summit here yesterday that she hopes to make it easier for Ohio soldiers to get the information they need to cast ballots and have their votes counted in November. In the future, secure Internet voting and dropping the Ohio law mandating that soldiers and others overseas can receive and send ballots only by mail might help raise lackluster overseas voter participation rates, Brunner said during a panel on state innovation," Jonathan Riskind, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 16: Most Ohio voters confident in election process COLUMBUS -- "Most Ohio likely voters are confident that the state’s election process produces fair outcomes and believe that their 2008 presidential ballot will be counted accurately. However, Republican likely voters express more confidence in the process than do Democratic likely voters in a new Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, released on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The poll was taken in the wake of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections in which voters from each party debated the fairness of each election. Also, this year Republicans have battling Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner over several issues. A Republican-sponsored lawsuit has challenged a Brunner directive that says for six days Ohio law allows people to simultaneously register to vote and cast an absentee ballot," William Hershey, Dayton Daily News. The Ohio Poll Eric Rademacher and Kimberly Downing, Institute for policy research. Sep 16: Who's paying for races? Enquirer opens county data CINCINNATI -- "Work for a candidate? Be prepared to donate to his or her campaign - and it's all legal. This happens regularly and occurs most among the law enforcers: Prosecutor and sheriff candidates received more than $18,000 from 87 employees... Though they are legal, good-government advocates question the appropriateness of employee contributions. 'If your boss is running for office, there's tremendous pressure to support his or her candidacy,' said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money and Politics Project for Ohio Citizen Action. 'It's such a conflict of interest for both the candidates and the employees,'" Jessica Brown, Cincinnati Enquirer. Published September 14. Sep 16: Vote absentee to avoid long lines, county says COLUMBUS -- "Here's a twist: Franklin County officials are urging voters to stay home. "Are you worried about waiting in line like so many of us did four years ago? Vote early. Vote by mail Vote from the comfort of your kitchen table," county commissioners plead on their Web page. Commissioners posted the notice after learning of two setbacks: Ballots at Columbus polls will be longer than expected, and so will wait times for early voting at Veterans Memorial," Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Sep 14. Sep 13: Brunner faces GOP suit, payday-lending dispute COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is addressing disputes surrounding a payday-lending issue proposed for the Nov. 4 ballot and applications for absentee ballots mailed to voters by Republican John McCain's presidential campaign. Meanwhile, the Ohio Republican Party sued Brunner yesterday, asking the Ohio Supreme Court for an immediate order striking down her plan to allow same-day registration and absentee-ballot voting," Joe Hallett and Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 13: Dann told to repay $40,610 Campaign cash improperly used to improve home, state says COLUMBUS -- "Former Attorney General Marc Dann was ordered yesterday to repay his campaign committee $40,610 for a security system and other improvements to his Youngstown-area home. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office said that expenses for Dann's personal residence 'were not appropriate uses of campaign funds and not legal' under an Ohio law prohibiting 'conversion of campaign funds for personal use.' 'The personal benefit to Mr. Dann from the security enhancements to his home outweigh any factors demonstrating that the expenditures were truly related to the duties of the office of attorney general or otherwise appropriate expenses of the (campaign) committee,' J. Curtis Mayhew, campaign-finance administrator for Brunner, said in a letter to Dann," Alan Johnson and James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 12: State to go after former legislator Elections officials had expected man to file own case COLUMBUS -- "A top state elections official said he is done waiting for former state Rep. John Widowfield to admit to violating state campaign-finance law, so the secretary of state's office is taking action. Widowfield resigned from the legislature in May when investigators began probing his scalping of Ohio State football tickets for personal profit after they had been purchased with campaign funds.... Campaign reports show that Widowfield spent more than $7,700 on football tickets from 2002 through 2006. Buying tickets with campaign money is legal; reselling them for profit is not," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 12: Absentee ballot bids invalidated At least 1,000 forms rejected locally because of extra check box COLUMBUS -- "More than 1,000 absentee ballot applications in Greater Cincinnati have been ruled invalid because Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign printed a version of the form with an extra, unneeded box on it. The forms were sent to more than 1 million registered voters statewide, according to a McCain spokesman in Ohio. The McCain forms included a box voters can mark to declare themselves qualified to vote. But Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner says that if the box isn't checked, circled or initialed, the application is no good. Those voters are essentially admitting they're not eligible, she said," Jon Craig, Cincinnati Enquirer. GOP chief, Brunner clash over ballots Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 12: Brunner may toss signatures on payday-lending ballot issue COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said yesterday she will appoint a hearing officer to help determine if a number of signatures submitted by payday lenders should be tossed out because a form was not properly filed. The decision came in response to a letter sent to Brunner this week by the Yes on Issue 5 campaign, asking that she immediately toss out all petitions collected by California-based Arno Political Consultants, one of the firms used to gather names. Maria Armstrong, legal counsel for the campaign, wrote that Arno supervisors apparently did not file what is known as Form 15, a required filing under Ohio law that details anyone who is getting paid to supervise or organize a signature-gathering effort for a statewide referendum," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 12: Decision day soon for court-records limits, Moyer says COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's top court could decide this year on a package of changes that would seal off some sensitive information in court filings, which has been resisted by some private investigators and media organizations, the state's chief justice said yesterday. People who want to weigh in on the proposed policy about access to court records have until Wednesday, after which the changes will be sent to a panel that already has endorsed the proposed rules. If that panel signs off on a few changes, the records policy could "quickly" move to the full Supreme Court, Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer said," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Blog: Decision day near on court records changes Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 11: Election Law @ Moritz publishes major new research COLUMBUS -- "The 2000 presidential contest was a disaster and, since then, disturbing election problems have occurred in Ohio, Colorado, Florida and elsewhere. Will the 2008 presidential election be similarly flawed, or will it go smoothly? To help answer this question, Election Law @ Moritz researched dozens of election law issues over 17 states, categorized the approach of each state, and plugged them into a series of interactive maps and charts. The project features an interactive web chart and database that allows the user to perform side-by-side comparisons of 44 critical legal questions across 17 key states. The project also allows the user to access the same information in a more visual way be viewing 44 interactive US maps that are color coded to faciliate analysis and discussion. Finally, the project includes an interactive map that allows the user to see our analysis of the states most likely to experience election-related litigation prior to November. All of these maps and charts allow the user to see more detailed factual and legal research, including citations, by clicking through to the heart of our database. The executive summary of the project may be found here," Nathan Cemenska, Election Law @ Moritz. Sep 11: Oilmen got watchdogs to heel with gifts, sex WASHINGTON -- "Interior Department officials, while handling billions of dollars in oil and gas royalty payments, engaged in sex with industry employees and accepted meals, drinks, ski junkets and golf outings from major oil companies, internal investigators reported yesterday. Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney's release of three reports, which stem from a $5 million investigation dating to 2005, implicated at least 19 current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service in incestuous relationships with industry, frolics that included marijuana and cocaine use. The reports raised new concerns about the management of programs that collect $8 billion in annual revenue from offshore and onshore mineral leases," Greg Gordon, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 11: Editorial: Enlighten the locals Ohio Sunshine Law is equally important at all levels of government COLUMBUS -- "Government closest to the grass roots -- township trustees, school boards and village councils -- often make decisions with the biggest impact on people's lives. Ohio's Sunshine Law, which requires most governmental deliberations and records to be open to the public, is a vital tool that allows people to monitor the performance of officeholders. But these agencies often are composed of relatively inexperienced officeholders, who can be prone to mistakes, particularly those related to open-government requirements," The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 10: Ever wonder whether those political ads are true? WASHINGTON DC -- "www.FactCheck.org aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels. The APPC accepts NO funding from business corporations, labor unions, political parties, lobbying organizations or individuals. It is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation," www.factcheck.org. Sep 10: ODOT bosses wrongfully paid OT COLUMBUS -- "Hundreds of managers at the Ohio Department of Transportation took advantage of the agency's generous policy on overtime to help themselves to more than $2 million a year that they shouldn't have received, a watchdog report concluded yesterday. Since 2005, the Transportation Department has allowed overtime-exempt managers to get paid time and a half instead of taking compensatory time, according to a report by the Ohio inspector general's office. ODOT has skirted both federal labor standards and a state policy requiring the Department of Administrative Services to sign off on large overtime checks for managers, the report said," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 9: Absentee-ballot policy under fire COLUMBUS -- "In the 2004 presidential race, Democrats cried foul when Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell initially ordered that voter-registration cards be rejected if the paper used wasn't thick enough. Now, Republican John McCain's campaign is complaining that Blackwell's successor, Democrat Jennifer Brunner, has decided that certain absentee-ballot applications should be rejected if a box on the form isn't checked. McCain's camp is worried that potentially thousands of requests for absentee ballots will be rejected and voters forced to reapply -- if they get notice that their application wasn't accepted, said Jon Seaton, McCain's regional campaign manager," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 9: Editorial: Nickels and dimes The MRDD board risks the wrong impression about its superintendent AKRON -- "The Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities hired well in making Thomas Armstrong the superintendent of the agency seven years ago. Armstrong has been an effective statewide advocate for clients and their families. He has helped to shape policy and strategy. He has improved the performance of the county operation, the agency now receiving $19.5 million in additional Medicaid money. That said, Rick Armon, a Beacon Journal staff writer, uncovered a problematic arrangement in Armstrong's contract with the board, one that invites trouble with public relations, no small concern in view of the agency relying on voters for money. Armstrong receives both a vehicle allowance of $4,800 and bills taxpayers for driving-related expenses, including car washes. The sums amount to a tiny sliver of the agency's $82 million annual budget. Still, why make things so complicated, risking the impression of Armstrong double-dipping?," Akron Beacon Journal. Sep 9: Extra OT pay to stay for now Elections board says it will examine policy COLUMBUS -- "Top managers for the Franklin County Board of Elections will continue to receive overtime pay while the board reviews its overtime policy. County Administrator Don L. Brown told the board last night that its managers are highly compensated and should be using compensatory time instead of drawing additional pay. Brown asked the board to reconsider the policy it approved in April in favor of overtime pay rather than compensatory time off. Staff members have been paid more than $196,000 in overtime since then," Dean Narciso, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 8: Column: This work is nothing to sneer at COLUMBUS -- "In her acceptance speech last week, the GOP nominee for vice president took aim at the Democratic nominee for president, trashing Barack Obama's work as a community organizer. But the ammo landed like so much shrapnel in the hearts and minds of community organizers across the country. Community Organizers of America launched a Web site and demanded an apology. The National Association of Social Workers issued an angry news release, with the Ohio chapter and others following suit. Here's what angered them: 'I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities,' Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday to the Republican convention and an estimated 37 million television viewers. Clearly, she hasn't heard that community organizers are the fabric behind the fluff of politics, the woof to political warp. And they vote," Ann Fisher, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 8: Boards skirting meeting rules Private sessions OK only in a few cases, school officials say COLUMBUS -- "When school boards meet in private, there's no one to police them but themselves. Sometimes, violations happen. 'Members of the public don't realize it's improper, and I don't think the board realizes it's improper,' said Tim Smith, a Kent State University journalism professor and expert in open records and media law. 'The fact (that school boards) do it without malice doesn't change the fact they are violating the law,'" Charlie Boss, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 8: Voters likely to see 5 statewide issues Casino, payday lending await ballot OK COLUMBUS -- "Ohioans won't vote on mandatory paid sick days on Nov. 4, but they will decide the fate of a payday-lenders law, a proposed casino near Wilmington and continuation of the "Clean Ohio" environmental and conservation program. Those three statewide issues, plus two others -- property owners' water rights and earlier deadlines for citizen-submitted state ballot issues -- are set to appear on the fall ballot. Friday was the deadline to withdraw ballot issues.... Issue 1 would move the deadline for submitting future "citizen-initiated" state ballot issues to 125 days before the election from the current 90 days. Proponents argue that election officials need more time to review ballot proposals. In two previous elections, voters saw issues on their ballots that, because of litigation, ultimately did not undergo a vote count," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 8: Summit MRDD expenses scrutinized Superintendent enjoys contract perk that some see as taking advantage of taxpayers in county AKRON -- "When Summit County Board of MRDD Superintendent Thomas Armstrong takes his 2001 Land Rover Discovery II into the shop for repairs, county residents pick up part of the tab. Taxpayers also foot some of the bill when he pays his personal car insurance, when he pays his state vehicle registration fee and even when he goes to the carwash.... ''This fits into news of the weird,'' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group in Columbus.... A problem with the benefit is someone could take advantage of it, Ohio Citizen Action's Turcer said," Rick Armon , Akron Beacon Journal. Posted sep 7. Sep 7: Elections board pays leaders fat overtime checks COLUMBUS -- "Executives who manage elections in Ohio's biggest counties generally are told that working late is just part of the job. But top managers in Franklin County drew overtime pay of up to $23,853 each this year. Until county commissioners were surprised with the bill, they didn't know that the county board of elections had changed its policy. Every employee now can collect -- at time-and-a-half pay -- banked compensatory time. 'This is bad policy,' Commissioner Marilyn Brown said. 'And I think it needs to change,'" Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 6: Disputed voters to get hearing, Brunner orders COLUMBUS -- "Ohio voters can't have their registration canceled without a hearing if their eligibility is challenged before the election this fall, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said yesterday. Brunner issued the directive regarding voter challenges, a controversial issue in the 2004 presidential election in Ohio that could become a factor again this year, to county boards of elections. She concluded that a 2006 state law is unconstitutional because it could allow elections boards to cancel a voter's registration without a hearing based only on mail being returned as undeliverable," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 5: AG fundraising gap widens Cordray amasses $2.2 million; Crites, with $75,000, is upbeat COLUMBUS -- "Democratic state Treasurer Richard Cordray is sitting on nearly 30 times as much campaign cash as his Republican opponent for attorney general, former federal prosecutor Mike Crites, campaign reports released yesterday show. Cordray's campaign account swelled to more than $2.2 million at the end of August, boosted by nearly $300,000 that month from lawyers, labor unions and other mainstays of Democratic fundraising for the state's top legal job. Crites, meanwhile, raised $75,790 in August and had $75,716 on hand at the end of the month, according to figures from the secretary of state's office. Crites' top donors included lawyers and business executives," Jam es Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Cordray fund raising leads other candidates Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sep 5: Blog: Paint it green COLUMBUS -- "Could it be a coincidence? On Aug. 21, Mike Crites, the Republican candidate for attorney general, said he'd drop the state's lawsuit against 10 companies that manufactured lead paint before it was outlawed in 1978. Ten days later, the political action committee of a paint manufacturer -- although not one of the targets of the state's lawsuit -- chips in $5,000 toward Crites' campaign. The campaign of Richard Cordray, Crites' Democratic rival, pointed out the donation although Cordray spokeswoman Leesa Brown put it more in the "Isn't that interesting?" category than an obvious example of pay-to-play," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Sep 4. Sep 4: Phil Donahue to receive the 2008 Ohio Citizen Action Howard M. Metzenbaum Award Award recipient: Phil Donahue Location:  Cleveland Institute of Art's Cinematheque Theater at University Circle (free lighted parking in Institute lot; fully accessible to people with disabilities) Date: Sunday, September 14 Time: 7:00 pm - 9:15 pm, dessert and coffee reception to follow Admission price: $20 regular admission, $10 for students, seniors, and veterans -or- sponsor the event. press release We will present our 2008 Ohio Citizen Action Howard M. Metzenbaum Award to Phil Donahue, Cleveland native, TV pioneer, and co-producer/director of the stirring documentary Body of War (official site, Bill Moyer's Journal coverage, clips). The event will include a showing of Donahue’s 87-minute film followed by a question and answer session and reception. The Metzenbaum Award is the highest honor given by Ohio Citizen Action. It has been presented since the Senator retired in 1995, and is given to an Ohioan who best reflects Senator Metzenbaum’s example of principled tenacity. This year's award will be presented by Senator Metzenbaum's daughter, Susan Hyatt. You can buy your tickets online, call us at 216.861.5200 to pay by phone, or send a check made payable to Ohio Citizen Action, 614 W. Superior Ave., Suite 1200, Cleveland, OH 44113, attention: Metzenbaum award. Buy tickets Sep 3: Absentee voting never easier, and never costlier And never costlier, with ballot papers being sent to all registered voters. HAMILTON -- "It has never been easier to apply for an absentee ballot to vote in Butler County. It also has never been as expensive or contentious for state leaders. Butler County Board of Elections officials say they're mailing out applications for absentee ballots this week to the county's roughly 245,000 registered voters. They will accompany the standard reminders of when and where to vote and will come with prepaid return postage. 'If we get more absentee voters, of course it cuts down on long lines and gets more people to participate,' said Elections board Chairman Tom Ellis," Josh Sweigart, Middletown Journal. Sep 3: Letter to the editor: Planning to vote COLUMBUS -- "It's late August with all the distractions of school and football starting, but it's also time to start planning on voting in the general election. Remember the long lines, the rain and hassles of voting at your polling place in the last presidential year, 2004? Predictions are this year could see a much greater number of voters casting ballots this year. [Columbus Dispatch editorial Aug.1, 2008]. Although Election Day is Nov. 4, voting in Ohio actually starts Sept. 30. Statewide, you can avoid the polling place hassle by voting early by mail or in person. Absentee voting, as it is also known, no longer requires the voter to provide a reason why they can't make it to the polling place," Sheryl Williams, Gahanna, The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 2: Touch-screen voting: it's been tried, but can it be trusted? COLUMBUS -- "Less than a decade ago, it seemed touch-screen had the touch. In the years after the 2000 Florida general election controversy, election officials worried about public confidence in voting and, fueled by US$3 billion in federal funding for election improvements, presided over a swift transformation of the American voting experience. In just six years, the number of counties using electronic direct-entry voting systems tripled, while those using punch cards and paper ballots fell by two-thirds, according to Election Data Services, which tracks the usage of voting equipment," Mike Pearson, Commerce Times. Sep 2: Letter to the editor: Voting glitches don't concern 'Dispatch' COLUMBUS -- "I am puzzled by recent Dispatch editorials. The Aug. 17 editorial 'November prospect' assured me that any suspicion I might have about Ohio's electronic voting systems is 'unwarranted.' Those who believed that electronic voting was subject to error or hacking, the editorial argued, were guilty of a "leap of illogic.' Then, from the Aug. 24 editorial 'Dropped, then caught,' I learned that Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems, acknowledged that in previous elections 'a source-code error caused votes to be missing.' So now should I worry? Not according to The Dispatch. The discovery of an error actually 'helps ensure (the) November election will be accurate.' And The Dispatch went further, assuring readers that the loss of votes 'resulted from a software glitch and not from an attempt to change the outcome of an election,'" Lawrence Dierker Jr., The Columbus Dispatch. Sep 2: Blog: Justice discusses proposed records changes COLUMBUS -- " In a letter to The Dispatch, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Lanzinger explains the court's pending move to alter rules affecting access to court records: A commission appointed by the Supreme Court of Ohio is working on a set of rules governing public records in the courts with two goals in mind: protecting the public's right to know while at the same time protecting individuals' rights to privacy. For a second time, the proposed rules governing public access to court records are being published for 30 days of public comment, until Sept. 17. The Commission on the Rules of Superintendence received more than 50 responses to our initial draft from court officials, the news media, private investigators, state licensing boards, police, attorneys and others. After fully considering all submissions, we made substantial revisions and offer them for another public review," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Aug. 30. Sep 2: Payday lenders file far more signatures than needed for vote COLUMBUS -- "A new state payday-lending law hailed by consumer advocates as one of the best in the nation takes effect today, but lenders in Ohio can pretty much ignore it for now. A key section of Hous Bill 545 is on hold because a payday-lending coalition filed more than 400,000 signatures with the Ohio secretary of state's office yesterday in its effort to qualify a referendum for the November ballot. During the next three weeks, county elections boards will determine whether lenders have the 241,365 valid signatures they need," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Sep 1. Aug 29: Corporations convene to treat Ohio delegation DENVER -- "Perhaps it's only appropriate for a convention that started in the Pepsi Center and concluded at Invesco Field. Ohio Democrats reaped $746,000 from corporations and others to help pay for delegate events this week. In contrast to a mere five gatherings in Boston four years ago, the Ohio delegates could choose from 34 events this year, such as a get-together at the LoDo Bar & Grill across from Coors Field after Barack Obama's speech last night or a gig in the ESPN Zone earlier this week.... Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit government watchdog, said it seems the Democrats this week (and probably the Republicans next week in Minneapolis) have become almost like NASCAR drivers: covered in corporate sponsorships from head to toe. 'You don't get something for nothing. If corporate America didn't think this was worth their time to essentially advertise at these events, they wouldn't do it,' she said. 'They're buying access,'" Darrel Rowland and Jack Torry, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 29: Petition process called into question COLUMBUS -- "A rise in the number of statewide ballot issues has a small-business advocate questioning if that is how public policy decisions should be made in Ohio.... Geiger [Executive Director of National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio] would like lawmakers to look at making it more difficult to place issues on the ballot.... 'It’s not a walk in the park,' said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, a political advocacy group. 'You have to be committed and organized,'" Jeff Bell, Business First Columbus. Aug 29: Brunner, GOP leaders spar over ballot mailing COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner fired off an angry letter to Republican legislative leaders yesterday, accusing them of creating confusion and interfering in the election process by sending conflicting messages to county elections officials about absentee ballots. The message to Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris reflected Brunner's ongoing frustration with the lack of communication between her office and legislative leadership on the issue. The legislature passed a law in late spring that Husted and Harris say requires that all counties mail absentee ballot applications to voters along with a 60-day notice of the Nov. 4 election. Brunner, the state elections chief, has complained that the law was passed without any discussion with her, and the $3 million approved by lawmakers is up to $5 million short of the cost to cover postage for the applications," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 29: Letter to the editor: Brunner is rewriting the voting rules TOLEDO -- "The Blade's Aug. 21 editorial ("Suppressing the Vote") is factually wrong. Republican lawmakers did not create a five-day window recently during which Ohioans can register to vote and receive a ballot on the same day, a process known as same-day registration. The five-day window between the beginning of absentee voting and the end of voter registration has existed for nearly three decades, as acknowledged Aug. 19 by The Blade's own reporting ("GOP warns of suit over voting law"). No previous secretary of state has directed election administrators to engage in same-day registration during that period for one simple reason: It's against the law. You cannot legally participate in an election without being registered to vote for at least 30 days. The law says that includes requesting and receiving an absentee ballot," Kevin DeWine, Toledo Blade. Aug 29: Editorial: No proof of black vote suppression in Y’town YOUNGSTOWN -- "The tales of the 2004 presidential election get taller as time goes on. There were plenty of problems with the election that are worthy of review and examination — and have been reviewed and examined a number of times — so they aren’t repeated this November and in future elections. Because of that, there’s no need to start making up new ones and reporting them as facts. But that’s what The New York Times did," David Skolnick, Youngstown Vindicator. Editorial: No One Should Have to Stand in Line for 10 Hours to Vote Adam Cohen, New York Times. Aug 28: Will voting machines work? Company that makes them says yes, but others not pleased. COLUMBUS -- "Following one presidential election that ended in litigation and another that hinged on Ohio, election officials across this politically divided state are expecting voting machine malfunctions in November. The problem: a glitch in the Premier Election Solutions software used in 44 Ohio counties can cause the machines to tell workers all votes were counted when in fact they weren't. Company officials say they have a patch, but don't have time to get it approved and released before the election. Instead, they've issued a national product advisory telling users what problems to look for and what to do if they occur," Josh Sweigart, The Oxford Press. Aug 28: Director quashed inquiry into No. 2 Public safety chief rejects more action in intimidation case COLUMBUS -- "When state troopers leveled charges of misconduct against the assistant director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the top boss and top cop began butting heads. Col. Richard Collins, superintendent of the State Highway Patrol, strongly urged that Ohio's inspector general be brought in to investigate Assistant Public Safety Director George Maier. However, Public Safety Director Henry Guzman declined to dig into the charges against his No. 2, ruling that there were no grounds to justify either an in-house or outside investigation of Maier," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 28: Editorial: Settle it Fight over absentee-ballot mailings is unnecessary and harmful to Ohio COLUMBUS -- "Absentee-ballot applications should be mailed to every registered voter in Ohio. Whether that will happen is unclear, as a dispute between Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, and the Republican leaders of the General Assembly remains unresolved.... Brunner and the 88 boards should commit to a statewide mailing, even without additional appropriations, and hold the legislative leaders to their promise to cover the costs. Having promised the money, Husted and Harris would pay a serious political price for reneging. It's an open secret on Capitol Square that Husted wants to run for secretary of state in 2010. But the battle for that office should wait; Ohioans don't need political posturing on election rules. The focus needs to be on a bipartisan commitment to make the Nov. 4 election as smooth as possible," The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 28: Where is your polling place? You sure? Franklin County has shifted 321 sites since election in 2004 COLUMBUS -- "Before you can choose whom you want to be president in November, you will need to check where you will be making that decision. Twenty-seven polling locations have moved or cover different territory since the March primary. For those who vote only every four years, the Franklin County Board of Elections says 321 polling centers have changed since the 2004 presidential election. "We've had space limitations, parking limitations and some public schools that just closed," board spokesman Ben Piscitelli said," Elizabeth Gibson, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 27: Sponsors' 'stuff' is everywhere at convention Corporate America makes its presence felt around the convention, but what's the impact? DENVER -- "Perhaps if you looked hard enough, you could see a corporate logo blazed into your morning bacon. On Monday, Aug. 25, the Ohio delegation's breakfast was sponsored by Dominion Energy. On Tuesday, it was AT&T. Delegates use a Democratic National Convention schedule sponsored by Goodyear to attend events such as Bloody Mary morning, sponsored by Citizens Bank.... Catherine Turcer, director of the Money and Politics Project at Ohio Citizen Action based in Columbus, believes any item — no matter how small — sends a subliminal message to political leaders that they are being bought. 'These corporate sponsors must believe it's worth it in the end,' Turcer said. 'They are saying 'you owe us, because we supported you at these events,'" Anthony Shoemaker, Dayton Daily News. Aug 27: GOP, Brunner at odds on mailings COLUMBUS -- "Committing to cover the cost of sending an absentee-ballot application to every Ohio voter, Republican legislative leaders are urging Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to reverse her directive that makes such mailings an option rather than a requirement. Brunner, a Democrat, appears unwilling to change course, leaving it up to county elections officials to decide whether they can afford the mailings. In a letter to Brunner, Speaker Jon A. Husted and Senate President Bill M. Harris said she is failing to follow "clear legislative language and intent" by not requiring that absentee-ballot applications be mailed along with Election Day notices," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 27: Elections funding sought Much of $2.8 million is for extra helpers COLUMBUS -- "Franklin County is being asked to provide $2.8 million to make sure the Nov. 4 elections run smoothly and to use only paper ballots during early voting at Veterans Memorial. The money request from the county Board of Elections also is aimed at preventing voters from being stuck in long lines, showing up at the wrong polling place or leaving proof of identification at home. 'It's a request for everything we anticipate,' said Board of Elections Director Michael Stinziano," Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Aug 26. Aug 26: Blog: Miller faces more campaign fund questions COLUMBUS -- " Senate Minority Leader Ray Miller might be forced to reimburse tens of thousands of dollars to his campaign fund unless he can better explain why the campaign made numerous expenditures, including dozens of checks written to himself over the past six years. Efforts to straighten out Miller's campaign-finance reports continued yesterday when the office of Secretary of State Jennifer L. Brunner sent the Columbus Democrat a new 42-page audit letter informing him that his filings still leave a number of unanswered questions, which follows up a 51-page letter sent to Miller in April asking for more information from his initial filing. The secretary of state is trying to compile a complete accounting of Miller's campaign activity dating back to 2002. The veteran lawmaker was fined $1,500 by the Ohio Elections Commission in late February after he went more than two years without filing finance reports required under Ohio election law. Just before the commission hearing, Miller turned in reports dating back to 2002, but many details remained missing," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 25: Editorial: Dropped, then caught Discovery of electronic-voting flaw helps ensure November election will be accurate COLUMBUS -- "The story of electronic-voting glitches in Ohio is likely to have a happy ending, thanks to the diligence of elections officials at the state and county levels. Efforts by the Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Butler County officials helped bring a previously undetected computer-programming error to light. Some votes in the March 4 primary had been dropped in Butler and eight other counties using touch-screen machines supplied by Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems. The glitches occurred under certain circumstances as memory cards were uploaded to computer servers. The votes were later recovered. Butler County officials were the first to notice the problem," The Columbus Dispatch. Posted August 24. Aug 22: Ohio's voting machine glitch exposed Touch-screens can't be fixed before election, Brunner says COLUMBUS -- "The maker of touch-screen voting machines used in half of Ohio's counties has admitted that its own programming error is to blame for votes being dropped in some counties. The problem can't be fixed before the Nov. 4 election, so Premier Election Solutions and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner are issuing guidelines to counties for how to avoid the problem. 'We will continue to monitor the situation and provide boards of elections with the instruction and support they need to ensure an orderly and efficient election and an accurate count of Ohioans' votes,' Brunner said in a memo released today," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Company acknowledges voting machine error Stephen Majors, Associated Press. Ohio voting machines contained programming error that dropped votes Mary Pat Flaherty, Washington Post. Aug 22: Another busy week of payday lending battles COLUMBUS -- "Republican members of the Ohio Ballot Board have asked Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to reconsider payday lending referendum language certified a week ago by the board, in what has been another busy week of body blows traded by lenders and opponents. Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina and fellow board member William Morgan wrote that the ballot language unanimously approved by the board last week 'has a strong potential to mislead, confuse, or worse, deceive the average voter.' Faber did not attend the Ballot Board meeting last week and was replaced by Sen. Jeff Jacobson, R-Vandalia, who advocated that the language include some reference to the fact that if a majority of voters cast “no” votes for the referendum, payday lenders can continue to charge a 391-percent annual interest rate on two-week loans, instead of the 28-percent rate for a 'yes' vote. But Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner handed payday lenders a major victory when she rejected that suggestion, saying she didn’t think including the percentage rate would help voters understand the issue," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 21: Editorial: Suppressing the vote TOLEDO -- "Nationally and in Ohio, the Republican Party has a long and shameful history of suppressing the vote to gain partisan advantage in elections, mostly by targeting minorities. Now they're at it again, with complaints about a law written, ironically, by GOP operatives in the General Assembly. The law, which took effect at the beginning of 2006, created a five-day window at the end of September during which Ohioans will be able to register to vote, then immediately cast their ballot under provisions that allow both 'no fault' absentee voting along with early voting, starting 35 days before the traditional Nov. 4 Election Day. Republicans now claim the statute constitutes an 'illegal loophole' that raises the threat of election fraud. But the law was in use in 2006 without problems and it wasn't an issue until Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced a push to take advantage of it among the state's 470,000 college students," Toledo Blade. Aug 21: Op-ed: Action by Brunner needed to prevent 'caging' of voters TOLEDO -- "I am sure most of us were taught in civics class that the foundation of our democracy, the hallmark of our power as a people, is our right to vote. The history of the oppressed has shown that one of the most important of all rights sought is suffrage. Without real access to the ballot, everything else is meaningless. In 2004, Republicans, in violation of a court ordered consent decree, used a Jim Crow-era tactic known as 'voter caging' to target the voter registrations of a half-million likely Democratic voters - often minorities - for Election Day challenges in nine states, Ohio among them," Donita Judge, Toledo Blade. Aug 20: Editorial: Much ado about nothing Overlapping voter registration and absentee voting are not a big deal. COLUMBUS -- "The run-up to an election can be the silly season, and not just because of the absurdities expounded during campaigns. Political parties often accuse each other of exploiting voting rules as an election draws near. Some Republicans are overreacting because an unforeseen interaction of separate election statutes has created a five-day window in which people may register to vote and then immediately vote by absentee ballot. This results because one Ohio law permits absentee voting up to 35 days before an election. Another Ohio law says the cutoff for voter registration is 30 days before an election," The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 20: Blog: Revised court records rules up for comment COLUMBUS -- "Dispatch reporter James Nash contributes this report: Court watchers and public-records advocates will have another month to comment on proposed rules that would limit access to certain court records. The Ohio Supreme Court yesterday put out its revised rules for a second, and probably final, period for the public to weigh in before the full court adopts the policy for all Ohio courts. The 30-day comment period ends Sept. 17, and the Supreme Court could take up the rules as early as October," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 20: Blog: City Council special election could be good practice for Cuyahoga County voting equipment CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- " An Oct. 14 primary to replace Cleveland City Councilwoman Fannie Lewis, who died last week, will give Cuyahoga County one more mini-election to identify potential problems that could rattle the Nov. 4 presidential vote. A couple of hiccups during the Aug. 5 special election - including ballot jams in a few of the county's new voting machines - could have disrupted a larger election, Board of Elections Director Jane Platten said. Six of the 50 ballot scanners used in the election, which included three school districts and Gates Mills, experienced jams because trays were misplaced inside the boxes that collect scanned ballots. Voters deposited their ballots into an emergency slot during the jams," Joe Guillen, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Posted August 18. Aug 20: Elections board to seek $615,000 for '08 Officials say more is needed to buy ballots, postage, rent scanners. SUMMIT COUNTY -- "The Summit County elections board plans to request an additional $615,000 from the county to cover expenses through the end of the year. The extra funds are needed to buy — among other items — the ballots for this fall's presidential election, said Bryan Williams, the board's deputy director. 'The bottom line is: If we can't have the money, we can't buy ballots and we can't have an election,' Williams said," Stephanie Warsmith , Akron Beacon Journal. Aug 19: Reject 545 Committee's response to Bill Faith's letter alleging that petitioners for the payday lenders were offered $1 a piece to sign. COLUMBUS -- "Bill Todd sent a letter to Bill Faith of the Coalition of Housing and Homelessness (COHHIO) in response to allegations that the Reject 545 Committee petitioners violated Ohio Election Law. In his letter Mr. Todd, the attorney for Reject 545 Committee, stated, 'Accordingly, the Committee has reviewed the press materials posted on your website to discern the specifics of the allegation... All of the news reports we have reviewed indicate that the alleged payment for signatures occured in June 2008... The committee's three proposals were submitted to the Secretary of State and the Attorney General on June 9, 25 and 27, 2008. We have reviewed the signatures collected for these preliminary petition efforts and have discovered that no signatures from Butler County were collected for any of these three preliminary petitions,'" SOS HB 545 Signature Verification for Version 1.pdf SOS HB 545 Signature Verification for Version 2.pdf SOS HB 545 Signature Verification for Version 3.pdf Coalition on Homelessness and housing in Ohio's letter to Payday lawyers. August 14, 2008. Bill Faith, COHHIO. Aug 19: Blog: Brunner: the home is no place for voting equipment There will be no more sleepovers with voting equipment in Ohio. COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a directive today forbidding the practice in Fairfield County and at least 22 other counties of having voting machines and other equipment taken home the night before an election by poll workers or others and brought to polling locations on Election Day. With the eyes of the world expected to be on Ohio again for the presidential election this fall, the order is part of a series of directives Brunner has been issuing to address voting security, including one implementing a new law requiring bipartisan teams to handle and transport ballots . 'We want Ohio’s voters and the rest of the nation to see that we have prepared a transparent process of transporting voting equipment, ballots and supplies,' Brunner said, noting there have been reported cases of poll workers casting ballots on machines in their homes. 'That begins with security practices at boards of elections and polling places, documented chain of custody, and now procedures to make secure voting machine delivery,'" Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 19: Blog: Political conventions: Lawmakers' ethics rules full of loopholes WASHINGTON DC -- "When the politically inclined refer to their respective parties in the next two weeks, they really do mean party -- as in soiree, late-night bash, cocktail reception and shindig. Congress and state legislatures have cracked down on how these events may be paid for if they benefit a lawmaker, but loopholes are plentiful. Schedules of events during the Democratic National Convention next week and the Republican National Convention, which starts on Labor Day, tell the story," Stephen Koff, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Aug 19: Editorial: Don't assume the worst about voters DAYTON -- "Let the games begin. The reference is not to the Olympics in Beijing, but rather to the fighting in Columbus — about who will be able to vote this fall. The controversy du jour was created by the fact that, in 2006, Ohio adopted a law allowing people to vote absentee without having to explain why they can't get to the polls on Election Day. It's called "no-fault" absentee voting. In the past, you had to sign a form saying why you'd be unavailable on Election Day," Dayton Daily News. GOP warns of suit over voting law Obama campaign may benefit from quirk in absentee balloting Toledo Blade. Brunner isn't budging on absentee-voter rules Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Weekend voting OK'd Brunner sides with Democrats to open Vets to absentee voters Dean Narciso, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 19: Blog: GOP candidate for Ohio Attorney General wants independent commission COLUMBUS -- "The Republican candidate for state attorney general wants to establish an independent commission that could look over the shoulder of county prosecutors and go after public officials accused of corruption. The Ohio Public Corruption Commission would investigate state and local officials accused of felony-level wrongdoing, said Mike Crites, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. 'This just creates a third avenue by which the attorney general, through this public corruption commission, can initiate an investigation and prosecute public corruption cases,' Crites said," Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Aug 18: Editorial: State of confusion Ohioans should be on guard when signing petitions and voting COLUMBUS -- "Payday-loan supporters who seek to overturn recent legislation that they say will destroy their industry repeatedly have failed to accurately explain their proposed referendum. The most-recent case occurred last week when some circulators were caught misinforming Ohioans as they sought signatures on referendum petitions. The circulators were recorded saying that repeal of House Bill 545 will reduce payday-loan interest rates to 5 percent. In fact, repeal would allow payday lenders to maintain their current interest rate, which is 391 percent when annualized. In late spring, the legislature capped the interest rate at 28 percent, which the industry says is too low to make their businesses worthwhile," The Columbus Dispatch. Coalition on Homelessness and housing in Ohio's letter to Payday lawyers. Bill Faith, COHHIO. Aug 18: Ethics panel reports on UA purchase Prosecutor will review deal with trustee's son. Details remain private SUMMIT COUNTY -- "The Ohio Ethics Commission has sent a report to the Summit County prosecutor's office regarding the University of Akron's purchase of land from the son of UA Trustee Jack Morrison Jr. The report follows an eight-month investigation that was undertaken at the request of UA officials, who said they wanted to be sure they did nothing wrong. The report has not been released. Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Brad Gessner declined to comment or indicate when it might be made public," Carol Biliczky, Akron Beacon Journal. Aug 18: Editorial: November prospect Board spends hours on ballot language COLUMBUS -- "Because Ohio again is a battleground state in the presidential election, every aspect of voting is undergoing intense scrutiny. Concerns raised by one political party are answered by complaints from the other. Both parties have been blowing potential problems out of proportion. But the 2008 election is likely to be far less problematic than the 2004 balloting, when some Ohioans waited hours to vote. Since then, election officials used federal funding to buy new equipment and institute more safeguards. In 2004, nearly 72 percent of Ohioans used unreliable punch cards. Touch screens or scanner-fed paper ballots have replaced them. Improvements since 2004 include expansion of voting by mail, more voting machines, better data on where to put machines to meet demand, post-election auditing of results and upgraded poll-worker training and voter literature," The Columbus Dispatch. Posted August 17. Aug 18: Cuyahoga County missed a chance to save $2 million on juvenile center On July 28, federal agents raided the offices of Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo as part of a massive public corruption investigation. The agents seized, among many things, documents related to the juvenile justice complex at East 93rd Street and Quincy Avenue. What the feds are investigating is unclear, but turmoil has surrounded that property for years. CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County Commissioners celebrated as they signed a $2.75 million deal to buy land from Sunrise Land Co., a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc. That deal ended a more than 14-year battle to find a home for a much-needed county juvenile detention center. There were lengthy speeches, applause and even jokes, according to a tape of that Feb. 29, 2000, meeting," Rachel Dissell, Christopher Evans and Sandra Livingston, Plain Dealer. Posted August 16. Aug 18: Forget the school gym, vote in your pajamas COLUMBUS -- "Terri Enns didn’t like the idea of dedicating an entire month for no-fault absentee voting when the Ohio legislature made it so three years ago. Today, as the Franklin County Board of Elections is pushing for voters to cast their general election decisions from the comfort of their homes to alleviate long lines at the polls, Enns still isn’t convinced it’s a good idea. 'I am a fan of allowing a variety of ways of voting. I am not a fan of a 35-day window in which you can cast your absentee ballot,' said Enns, senior fellow of election law at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. 'Things change—you might change your mind about an issue or candidate you may have already voted on,'" Steph Greegor, The Other Paper. Posted August 14. Aug 15: 'Yes' vote will mean 'no' to payday-lending excess Board spends hours on ballot language COLUMBUS -- "If you know the answer, congratulations, you're ready to vote in November to determine the fate of payday-lending interest rates in Ohio. Confused? Don't worry. It took the Ohio Ballot Board five hours of grinding debates, rewrites and more rewrites to craft the ballot language that ultimately leads to that final, technical question. After more than four hours of discussion, the board still was trying to decide how to explain to voters the meaning of a "no" vote on the referendum, which Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner termed the "Mount Everest of ballot issues.'The referendum is very confusing when a yes vote means no,' Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action told the board. 'Voters become like Alice in Wonderland at the tea party,'" Jim Siegel, Columbus Dispatch. Official ballot language for Issue 5 Ohio Secretary of State. Ballot taking shape on Ohio's new payday-lending law Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. Editorial: Ohioans could be deciding too much in November Dayton Daily News. Aug 15: GOP crying foul over law it passed COLUMBUS -- "In trying to close a brief window that will allow simultaneous voter registration and absentee voting, Ohio Republicans are engaging in 'blatant voter suppression,' a leading legal expert on voting said yesterday. "This is exactly what the law says and what it allows,' said Daniel Tokaji, a professor at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. 'If the Republicans are trying to close the window, they would be violating the law they wrote.' Tokaji, a frequent critic of Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, said she is 'absolutely right on this one. ... It could be the best thing she's done in office,'" Allan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. Blog: Ohio political party leaders spar over voting rule Mark Rollenhagen, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Ohio voting law may be a boon for Obama supporters Phillip Elliott, Associated Press. Aug 14: Ex-Rep. Ney to be freed Saturday CINCINNATI -- "Former Ohio congressman Bob Ney is scheduled for release Saturday from a halfway house after serving his time in connection with a public-corruption scandal. Ney, a Republican from Heath who served six House terms, has served nearly a year and a half of his original 2 1/2 -year prison sentence. The sentence was reduced after he completed treatment for alcohol problems, and a federal Bureau of Prisons Web site shows Saturday as his release date. Ney, 54, was transferred in February from the federal prison in Morgantown, W.Va., to Cincinnati for placement in a halfway house as a transition to freedom. Prison authorities have declined to identify the halfway house," Associated Press. Aug 14: Political-conduct rules might loosen for judges COLUMBUS -- "Although they run in partisan primaries and are popularly elected, judges in Ohio long have been barred from getting their hands dirty with some of the more political aspects of running for office. The Ohio Supreme Court now is proposing rules that would change that -- a little. The new setup won't happen until after this year's election, however. The proposed revisions to the Code of Judicial Conduct aren't likely to unleash partisan mudslinging in judicial races, but they would make it easier for candidates for judgeships to identify their party affiliation and to respond to attacks," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 13: Blog: Right Runner Strickland's process to select judicial appointments anything BUT impartial and transparent. COLUMBUS -- "Back in January of 2007 Ted Strickland promised to establish a process for selecting judicial appointments that relied less on the recommendations of county party chairmen and more on the recommendations of the Ohio Judicial Appointment Recommendations Panels (OJARP). This was supposed to make the process more transparent and inclusive of all parties involved. According to the Dayton Daily News, Strickland said the following: 'Ohioans deserve a transparent and inclusive government and, under my administration, that will include the process of selecting judicial appointees,' In addition: Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, said in a prepared statement that a majority of Ohio judges initially reach the bench through appointments by the governor and that the selections 'should not be based on back-room deals, but on judicial qualifications,'" Gary Lewis, Right Runner. Posted August 12. Aug 13: Spokeswoman: Payday lending petitioners telling lies Listen to audio of their sales pitch. COLUMBUS -- "When Sandy Theis hit the streets to hear the sales pitch from petition circulators gathering signatures for a payday lending issue, she said she was stunned to find 10 of 12 telling her outright lies to persuade her to sign. Theis, an investigative reporter turned political consultant, even caught a few on tape, telling her — inaccurately — that the goal of the referendum was to lower interest rates charged by payday lenders. Theis, now a spokeswoman for the Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending, helped outline about two dozen cases of petition circulators using misleading tactics or misinformation to dupe Ohioans into signing the payday lending petition," Laura Bisschoff, Dayton Daily News. Blog: Tale of the Tape: Payday Lenders Lying?. Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Payday-loan petition circulators accused of misinforming voters. Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Petitioners misrepresent payday-loan law, critics say. Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. Shelter residents say they accepted $1 to sign petition. Jon Craig, Cincinnati Enquirer. Payday-lending signatures questioned. Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press. Aug 13: Blog: Think tank launches openness initiative COLUMBUS -- "While generally conservative and reliably Republican in its outlook, the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is rallying behind a concept all can support -- transparency and openness in government. The Columbus think tank has announced the formation of its Center for Transparent and Accountable Government, directed by former reporter Mike Maurer. The center plans to collect government information of all kinds and post it online so it can be easily available to Ohioans," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted August 12. Aug 13: Blog: Calling all lawyers COLUMBUS -- "The president of the Ohio State Bar Association is asking all lawyers in the state to do their civic duty and serve as a poll worker or presiding judge for the Nov. 4 election. 'As lawyers, we understand the importance of voting ourselves and encouraging others to exercise their right to vote,' Association President Gary J. Leppla said in a message to colleagues today. 'We also appreciate the importance of securing the fairness of and accessibility to the voting process,'" Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted August 12. Aug 12: Ohio's two Democrat scandals COLUMBUS -- "Shortly after former Attorney General Marc Dann held a news conference in May to answer questions about a sexual harassment scandal involving a top aide, the response from Democrats was quick and forceful: resign or be impeached. Yet two weeks have passed since the FBI in Cleveland raided the offices and homes of Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy DiMora and Auditor Frank Russo, and the Democratic Party's response has been muted... 'In some ways this was a personality thing,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a government watchdog group. 'He (Dann) didn't have the kind of friends, or network, or structures, or long-term relationships that DiMora and Russo have,'" Stephen Majors, Associated Press. Aug 12: Editorial: Give them a hand Voting should be easier for those in military service overseas. COLUMBUS -- "The right to vote doesn't have to be earned and, legally speaking, selfless citizens don't deserve it any more than the selfish or apathetic. But members of the military serving overseas should not have their ability to vote hampered by needless obstacles. Ohio's voting laws, which require overseas votes to be returned by mail, mean Ohioans serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere overseas have to wade through a cumbersome, months-long process to cast a ballot. The legislature should fix that as soon as possible, so as many Ohioans as possible can vote in November's election," The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 11: Blog: Former county judge named to elections panel COLUMBUS -- "Gov. Ted Strickland today appointed Yvette McGee Brown, a former judge on the Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, to the Ohio Elections Commission. McGee, a Democrat from Gahanna, has served as president of the Center for Child and Family Advocacy at Nationwide Children's Hospital since 2002. She was on the juvenile court bench from 1993-2002," Catherine Candisky, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Aug 8. Aug 11: '04 election critics still unmoved by evidence COLUMBUS -- "The documentaries all follow pretty much the same script: Show some long lines of voters, many of them black, standing in the Columbus rain. Flash a picture of former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and maybe some touch-screen voting machines. Interview many of the same activists, all reaching the same conclusion: The 2004 election in Ohio was stolen and, with it, the presidency," Mark Niquette , The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Aug 10. Aug 8: Editorial: Open access Judge's ruling preserves citizens' right to records of public institutions. COLUMBUS -- "Public records have to remain public, even when their content makes some people uncomfortable. Without access to this information, anyone who wants to monitor the performance of public institutions would have a hard time doing so. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard A. Frye reinforced this core open-government principle last week, when he ruled that the Dublin City School District did nothing wrong by releasing its student directory to news outlets, including The Dispatch," The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 8: Column: Verbose ballots only vex voters COLUMBUS -- "Writing short isn't easy. But it's worth the trouble if you want someone to finish reading -- and grasp -- what you've written. So, let's make this short: It's a good idea to limit descriptions of Franklin County issues to 600 characters on the ballot. Windier versions will be posted in polling places, the county elections board said, so voters can read them without holding up other voters. Mark Twain wrote, 'I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.' Philosopher Blaise Pascal made the same point long before, in 1657, when he wrote, 'I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter,'" Ann Fisher, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 7: Record number of voters might use paper ballots SAN DIEGO -- "Come November, more Americans might cast their ballots on paper than in any other election in U.S. history. That wasn't supposed to happen. If everything had gone according to the government's $3 billion plan to upgrade voting technology after the hanging-chad fiasco in Florida in 2000, that sentence would read "electronic machines" instead of paper. Instead, thousands of touch-screen devices are collecting dust in warehouses from California to Florida, where officials worried about hackers and fed up with technical glitches have replaced the equipment with scanners that will read paper ballots," Allison Hoffman, Associated Press. Aug 7: Local counties join vote machine suit Boards of elections are parties to claim filed by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. DAYTON-- "Four area county boards of elections are parties to a breach-of-contract lawsuit counterclaim filed by the Ohio Secretary of State on Wednesday, Aug. 6, against the maker of touch-screen electronic voting machines. Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Butler counties are among 11 counties that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said experienced voting machine equipment malfunctions, including failure to properly tabulate votes. The problems were discovered and votes were counted. But they are the latest in a long string of issues found with the electronic machines manufactured by Premier Election Solutions Inc., including calibration problems that could have caused votes to be inaccurately recorded in Montgomery County," Lynn Hulsey, Dayton Daily News. Missing votes spark lawsuit. Boards of elections are parties to claim filed by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug.5: Columbus on the Record COLUMBUS -- "Host: Karen Kasler, Ohio Public Radio and Television; Bill Cohen, Statehouse Correspondent, Ohio Public Radio; Jeff Winbush, Writer, Columbus Post, Editor, jeffwinbush.com; Michael Miller, Attorney, Former Franklin County Prosecutor; Catherine Turcer, Legislative Director, Ohio Citizen Action. Topics: Education in Ohio and in the Presidential campaign; New Housing Bill; The Economy and a rise in the loss of jobs in Ohio; Funding bridge and road infrastructure; and Columbus’ struggle with its image," WOSU Television. Aired August 1. Aug 5: Blog: Dimora and Russo: Cuyahoga County's beloved, besieged politicians CUYAHOGA COUNTY-- " When Cuyahoga County's Brobdingnagian Commissioner Jimmy Dimora broke his silence last week, he turned to his trademark humor to keep his followers in line. 'Behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining,' he said about last Monday's coordinated FBI raid of his home and office. 'This experience is going to help me lose weight fast, that's for sure.'Dimora has long used jokes to build the cult of personality around him. Unfortunately, it impedes an objective evaluation of his work as a commissioner and as the county's Democratic Party boss," Mark Naymik, Plain Dealer. Aug 5: Issues must be shorter this year COLUMBUS -- "While there's still no limit to the number of characters who can run for office in Franklin County, ballot issues this fall will be limited to a length of 600 characters. "We want to cut the time a person spends reading an issue by half," said Matt Damschroder, deputy elections director. "Every second we save is time other voters don't have to wait in line. Seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into hours." And hours turn into voters who are grumpy, or give up," Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. Aug 4: High court review sought on judicial recusals West Virginia case triggers key ethical query NEW YORK, NY -- "The ethical hornets' nest stirred up by the refusal of an acting West Virginia chief justice to recuse himself from a multimillion-dollar appeal involving his major campaign contributor has reached the U.S. Supreme Court in a petition framing today's increasingly unsettling intersection of money and judicial elections... The 'situation' in West Virginia developed around an appeal by Don Blankenship, chairman and CEO of Massey Energy Co., of a $50 million jury award in 2002 for tortious interference with existing contractual relations, fraudulent misrepresentation and fraudulent concealment, in a suit against his company by Caperton of Harman Mining. With post-trial interest, the award grew to $76 million. Between the verdict and Blankenship's filing of the appeal with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in 2006, there was a hotly contested battle for a seat on that court between incumbent Justice Warren McGraw and then-attorney Brent Benjamin. Blankenship reportedly made campaign expenditures of $3 million in that battle, the bulk of which went to a so-called Section 527 organization, And for the Sake of the Kids, working to defeat McGraw, about $517,000 of which was in direct support of Benjamin," Marcia Coyle, The National Law Journal. Brief of amicus curiae Public Citizen in support of the petition. Aug 4: Lawmakers spend thousands on Ohio State tickets COLUMBUS -- "Ohio elected officials have spent more than $400,000 on Buckeyes football tickets since 1996, purchasing hundreds of seats each year through their campaign funds, state records show.... Catherine Turcer, who monitors campaign spending for the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, said such purchases may be legal — but they aren't always ethical, especially when given as gifts to lobbyists. 'They have access to something that other people do not have access to,' she said. 'Very few alumni have access to this number of tickets. And then that they could buy these with their campaign funds? It may be legal, but that doesn't mean it actually passes the smell test,'" Associated Press. Posted August 2. Aug 4: Voting can be chore for military Process can take as long as 3 months for overseas troops COLUMBUS -- "Technology could allow overseas voting to take just a few days, but Ohio troops in foreign countries still must vote the way troops did during World War II. They have to rely on traditional mail or on a sometimes-expensive express mail service. That means the entire process, from requesting an absentee ballot to having a vote arrive at a county elections board, might take months. So those overseas troops should request a ballot for November's election as soon as possible. This week, if they can," Jeb Phillips The Columbus Dispatch. Posted August 3. Aug 2: Blog: Shadows on high: judasprudence; ethics problems in Ohio’s Supreme Court COLUMBUS -- "And as Maureen O’Connor [Ohio Supreme Court Justice], a former Summit County Prosecutor and Lt. Governor to Bob Taft, schmoozed with her base, she had to know that the man she owed it all too had his back against the wall – and was using every cog in the machine that the late Ray Bliss put in place before Arshinkoff had turned it into the National GOP Bank of Akron. There was money at stake. Power was at stake. Indeed, patronage jobs were at stake if this machine unraveled. And everyone in the audience at the Quaker Station knew that at the meeting just three days after their elegant dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Sugar Snap peas and pie – Arshinkoff would face off with Ohio’s Secretary of State over his handpicked successor. He, and many others in attendance, likely knew that this would wind up before another court that O’Connor sits on. Why then, was Maureen O’Connor there? Why, months later, did she cast the deciding vote in favor of Arshinkoff without acknowledging her conflicts and recusing herself from the case? Ethics and Ohio politics rarely mix- even in Ohio’s highest Court," Brian Rothenberg, Progress Ohio. Aug 1: Cuyahoga County workers will hire private lawyers in corruption probe Law says 3 employees must pay for lawyers CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- "Jimmy Dimora, Frank Russo and J. Kevin Kelley will have to pay their own legal fees in a public-corruption investigation. The county, citing state law, says it cannot pay for employees' lawyers in criminal cases stemming from their work.... 'The cronyism that has gone on isn't going to stop when 200 FBI and IRS agents show up at the door,' said Catherine Turcer of the watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action. 'People will continue to support them, but in a much quieter way,'" John Caniglia, Plain Dealer. Editorial: Dimora and Russo will find no refuge in arrogance Plain Dealer Aug 1: Blog: Public financing for Supreme Court races? COLUMBUS -- "On the heels of a report showing the continuing influence of money in Ohio Supreme Court elections, two public-interest groups are calling for public financing of judicial campaigns. Common Cause/Ohio and Ohio Citizen Action said publicly financed campaigns would curb the influence of campaign contributors over the state's highest tribunal. In a letter to Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer, the two groups called on Ohio's seven justices to follow the lead of Wiscinsin Supreme Court justices in calling for a system of taxpayer-financed elections. The Wisconsin justices were unanimous, but not specific in their request," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Dems distance themselves from Cuyahoga County scandal James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch Aug 1: Ohio attorney general hopefuls drastically differ in funding COLUMBUS -- "The Democratic candidate for Ohio attorney general showed off some campaign fund-raising muscle yesterday while the late Republican entry into the race - former federal prosecutor Mike Crites - is playing catch-up in the money game. Richard Cordray, running from the safety of the Ohio Treasurer's office, had banked a robust $1.9 million as of June 30 for an attorney general's race no one expected to be on the ballot just a few months ago. Former Attorney General Marc Dann resigned under pressure in May after admitting to an extramarital affair that he said he feared may have contributed to an office atmosphere that led to the filing of sexual harassment complaints against a top aide," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. Aug 1: Dann spent plenty in loss Ex-AG may try to revive career after spending thousands to save it COLUMBUS -- "Former Attorney General Marc Dann spent nearly the equivalent of a year's salary in his unsuccessful bid to weather a sexual-harassment scandal, but don't count him out of political life just yet. The 46-year-old Democrat has filed paperwork with the secretary of state's office to run again in 2010. While that doesn't commit Dann to seeking a new term, it does allow him to continue raising and spending money from his campaign fund. Campaign-finance reports filed yesterday show that Dann billed his campaign fund for trips even after stepping down May 14 when sexual-harassment allegations involving an aide mushroomed into a scandal and an impeachment threat," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Blog: Marc Dann spending money from campaign fund; much of it after he resigned Reginald Field, Plain Dealer July 31: WBNS 10TV posts video of "See where your contributions are really going." COLUMBUS -- "10 Investigates found a near epidemic of questionable spending of campaign contributions. Some of the contributions included Ohio State football tickets, fancy and ordinary dinners, trips to the bar and staff parties, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported," WBNS 10TV. July 31: State Supreme Court upholds Brunner in elections-board dispute COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the state elections chief's decision to deny a county elections board seat to a Republican recommended by her party. The court ruled today that Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was justified in rejecting Mary Wipert as the director of the Lawrence County Board of Elections. The court says Brunner's decision was based on Wipert's participation in partisan political activity while she previously served as the board's director. It also says Wipert's firing from the position in February 2007 was grounds for her rejection," The Columbus Dispatch. July 31: Redistricting Reform Coalition launches, urges hearings WASHINTON DC -- "Americans for Redistricting Reform (ARR), a national nonpartisan umbrella organization committed to raising public awareness of redistricting abuses and promoting solutions that benefit voters and strengthen our democracy, announced its formation and launched a new website.... ARR is comprised of groups from across the political spectrum that recognize the critical need to reform our nation's redistricting process. Advisory Committee member organizations in ARR include: Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center, Committee for Economic Development, Common Cause, Council for Excellence in Government, Fair Vote, League of Women Voters, Reform Institute, Republican Main Street Partnership, and U.S. PIRG. A number of civil rights groups are also involved in this project and have offered helpful advice and information on redistricting reform," David Vance, American for Redistricting reform. July 31: Dann requests previous records COLUMBUS -- "The ex-attorney general said he is ‘trying to rebuild my life with my family and my legal practice.’ Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, a vocal advocate of open records, is asking his former department to fill what is one of the largest public records requests sought from the office. The request is essentially the 17-month history of Dann as the state’s top lawyer," David Skolnick, Youngstown Vindicator. Former Ohio AG, Marc Dann, seeks a huge amount of records Associated Press July 30: Blog: Incumbents clean up COLUMBUS -- "It's probably little surprise that the two incumbent justices on the Ohio Supreme Court have jumped to an early fundraising lead over their challengers. Justices Maureen O'Connor and Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, both Republicans, are known in the legal and business circles that provide much of the money for races for Ohio's top court. In addition, incumbents are virtually assured of reelection; the last time one was unseated, Ronald Reagan was president. But what may be surprising is the margin. Ohio Citizen Action, a group that tracks the influence of money in the political system, found that O'Connor and Stratton raised more than 26 times the money of their Democratic challengers, Joseph D. Russo and Peter M. Sikora. The lead was so overwhelming that the incumbents out-raised their challengers among constituencies where Democrats might be expected to compete, such as lawyers," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. July 30: Elections board has plan for long lines 250 more machines, new distribution strategy proposed COLUMBUS -- "Hoping to avoid long lines at the polls on Nov. 4, Franklin County elections officials want to buy and rent more voting machines and have devised a scientific plan to distribute them. "We want voters to know there was some fair, serious method that went into" this year's allocation of voting machines, said Dennis L. White, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. Before, he said, "It was all gut instinct. Now, we're using fair, defensible information." The board paid $30,000 to hire consultants Sagata Ltd., which helped determine how many voting machines are needed, and Lextant, which looked at how people use those machines," Barbara Carmen, The Columbus Dispatch. July 29: Ohio Citizen Action releases study examining Supreme Court contributions COLUMBUS -- "Contributions to candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court showcase the power of incumbency, and the strong interest that the insurance, manufacturing and health care industries have in Ohio's top tribunal. According to a study released today by Ohio Citizen Action, incumbents out-raised their challengers in excess of 26 to 1. The fundraising imbalance was most pronounced in the contest between incumbent Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton ($244,281) who raised 31 times more money than her challenger Peter M. Sikora ($7,660). With the governor's office now in Democratic hands, and Republican dominance in the Ohio General Assembly threatened, GOP-dominated business interests are hoping to keep the all-Republican Supreme Court intact. Combined business interests contributed a total of $97,680 to incumbent Maureen O’Connor and $92,868 to Evelyn Lundberg Stratton. This can be sharply contrasted by the challengers. Joseph D. Russo raised $321 from business interests and Peter M. Sikora $4,300.... 'Since record-breaking 2002, challengers have been true underdogs,' said Catherine Turcer, Director of Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics Project. 'It may be that campaign cash will come to these candidates closer to the election. However, other races may be the priority for the Democrats this year. This would mean that the incumbent justices would not be truly challenged,'" Ohio Citizen Action. July 28: Federal agents probe corruption in Cuyahoga County government COLUMBUS -- "Up to 200 FBI and IRS agents are executing search warrants at the Cuyahoga County administration building, data center and engineer's office. They swept into the offices about 9 a.m., telling employees to shut down their computers. The searches -- which extended to the homes of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo -- are part of a long-term public corruption investigation, according to an FBI spokesman. Agents also were seen at the office of DAS Construction in Cleveland. Agents from Pittsburgh have been brought in to help with the searches, which were conducted under the authority of a sealed affidavit filed in U.S. District Court," Plain Dealer. Agents search office of Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo's son Edith Starzyk, Plain Dealer July 28: Thomas Suddes: Term limits give Strickland a tool to unhinge House Republicans COLUMBUS -- "Republicans are shocked -- shocked! -- that Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland is what each of them also is: A politician. That, anyway, is how the Ohio GOP sounded when Strickland retired his halo to the prop room last week. Object: To game this year's Ohio House elections to favor fellow Democrats. Strickland's maneuver is another example of how term limits, that GOP Frankenstein, has turned on its creators. Limiting people to eight consecutive years in the state Senate or Ohio House sounds dandy, unless they want a nice Public Employees Retirement System pension down the road: The longer you're on a state payroll, the plumper your retirement. Term limits don't help that. An Ohio governor's second two-years are his re-election years. So the two-year state budget Strickland must propose early in 2009 will be his re-election budget. Add those two facts to a third -- Strickland's dodge on public-school funding -- and you see why making the Ohio House a Democrat preserve this November would smooth the road to Campaign 2010," Thomas Suddes, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 27. July 28: Editorial: Worthy opponents The candidates for Ohio attorney general should keep campaign on high road COLUMBUS -- "This wasn't supposed to be an election year for Ohio's top law-enforcement official. The good news coming out of the drama of former Attorney General Marc Dann is that an able interim was named and the Democratic and Republican parties put forward capable candidates for the final two years of Dann's term. Dann, a Democrat, self-destructed after just 16 months as attorney general. His May 14 resignation under pressure prompted the appointment of Nancy H. Rogers, who will serve until Democrat Richard Cordray, the state treasurer, or Republican D. Michael Crites is elected on Nov. 4. While Crites can't match Cordray's political experience, he has a wealth of experience as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio prosecuting federal cases. Crites, Granville's city prosecutor and law director, was introduced Wednesday as the GOP candidate. He said his 21 years of prosecutorial experience is more than the last seven attorneys general combined," The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 26. July 25: Ohio will get $54.9M from Noe's rare coins Sale of collectibles, fund leaves no room for profit COLUMBUS -- "With the sell-off of its infamous rare-coin fund nearing its conclusion, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation is estimating that the divestment will net as much as $54.9 million. After more than three years of liquidation, the agency is set to recoup more than the $50 million the state agency fronted former Toledo-area rare-coin dealer Tom Noe to manage the venture beginning in 1998. But the surplus deviates vastly from the $14 million or more in profit the bureau could have earned if it invested the money conservatively in money markets, government bills, or index funds, according to projections by the BWC's investment department. Noe, the onetime GOP insider and fund-raiser for President Bush who was at the center of the "Coingate" scandal, was sentenced to 18 years in state prison after a Lucas County jury convicted him in 2006 on charges that he stole millions of dollars from the coin fund," Steve Eder, Toledo Blade. Editorial: Coingate coda Toledo Blade. Posted July 12 July 25: '04 Ohio election was fair, Blackwell says Ex-secretary of state defends outcome, process WASHINGTON -- "Former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell rejected charges yesterday that the outcome of the 2004 presidential race in the state was tampered with, saying that 'checks and balances' on the county level make it 'virtually impossible for either party to rig an Ohio election.'...Conyers and a number of political activists have assailed Ohio's 2004 vote, charging that long lines at polling places in Franklin and Knox counties might have cost Democratic Sen. John Kerry votes. President Bush defeated Kerry by 136,483 votes. Daniel P. Tokaji, a professor of election law at Ohio State University, acknowledged that Bush's margin 'was sufficient to overcome any legal challenges that might have arisen from provisional ballots that were uncounted, ambiguously marked punch-card ballots and long lines that may have discouraged many citizens from voting,'" Jack Torry, The Columbus Dispatch. July 24: National Political Nominating Conventions Lobbying compliance issues, July 23, 2008 COLUMBUS -- "With the National Political Nominating Conventions for both parties approaching, we have received questions about registered lobbyists and/or their clients (employers) making expenditures relating to the convention(s), and the lobbying reporting requirements for such expenditures. Lobbyists and lobbyist employers are encouraged to review this information prior to making any travel, meals, beverages, or gift expenditures related to attendance at the National Political Nominating Conventions," Tony Bledsoe, Legislative Inspector General July 24: Brunner eases paper-ballot policy Voters won't have to be told of option COLUMBUS -- "Ohio counties using touch-screen voting machines must make paper ballots available in the Nov. 4 election, but poll workers won't have to tell voters they have a "paper or plastic" choice, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said yesterday. She also doesn't expect to appeal a court ruling that Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr and other Libertarian candidates must appear on the ballot under their party's label instead of as independents, possibly boosting their support and affecting the outcome of Ohio races if they are close. Brunner made the comments yesterday during a meeting with Dispatch reporters and editors to discuss preparations for the fall election, when Ohio once again is expected to face national and even international scrutiny," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. July 24: GOP selects Crites for attorney general COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Republican Party has named Republican lawyer D. Michael Crites its candidate for Ohio attorney general. A former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, he will face Democratic state Treasurer Richard Cordray in a special election in November to replace Marc Dann, who was forced out of office in May by a sex scandal. Crites, best known for prosecuting baseball legend Pete Rose on tax evasion charges, is a managing partner of a Columbus law firm, a Vietnam veteran and a retired captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve," Plain Dealer. Lawyer runs to finish Dann's term James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Ex-prosecutor vies for Ohio attorney general GOP candidate for state job insists he won't be 'sacrificial lamb' Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. GOP names its AG choice Associated Press. July 23: Ohio won't force counties to mail out absentee ballots COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's elections chief won't require counties to mail all voters absentee ballot applications ahead of November's election, irritating Republican lawmakers who said yesterday that the decision means everyone won't have the convenience of voting at home. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, said in a directive issued last week that the legislature's $3 million appropriation for the mailings would not be enough if all 88 counties participated. Requiring the mailings without sufficient state funding would force some counties to rely on funds they may not have, she said. She instead gave counties the option of mailing absentee ballot applications with notices of election, which are required to be mailed 60 days before the contest. Counties choosing not to send the applications to all voters will have to send them to voters asking for them," Associated Press. GOP blasts Brunner for disregarding absentee-ballot law Jim Siegel & Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. July 23: Report on campaign contributions catches wathcdog eye COLUMBUS -- "A 10 Investigates report that exposed questionable purchases by state lawmakers drew questions from at least one state watchdog on Tuesday. In a previous report, 10 Investigates found some state lawmakers using campaign contributions to pay for things like country club dues, season tickets to Ohio State football games, car payments and even a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. On Tuesday a taxpayer watchdog said regulators weren’t getting the job done, or the law is being broken," Paul Aker, WBNS 10TV. Posted July 22 July 22: See where your campaign contributions are really going COLUMBUS -- "10 Investigates found a near epidemic of questionable spending of campaign contributions. Some of the contributions included Ohio State football tickets, fancy and ordinary dinners, trips to the bar and staff parties, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported.... To determine how the money was used, we went through scores of publicly filed campaign expense reports. Then we tracked down exactly how much money was spent," Paul Aker, WBNS 10TV. Posted July 21 July 22: Letter to the editor: Government unfairly regulates petitions COLUMBUS -- "I nearly spit up my coffee July 11 while reading the letter "Aggressive petitioners should back off" from Paul T. Evans, who is offended that people petition their government. Evans should be aware that the actions he finds offensive are required by law. Furthermore, there are few places where an interested person may legally petition without fear of arrest. For instance, while most shopping venues and some libraries allow petitioners, the nearly defunct City Center Mall, most post offices and government buildings and the Ohio State Fair will arrest those who are petitioning their government. Evans should also be aware that petitioners have a very small time window in which to get their candidate(s) on the ballot. This is because of state law and because of the capricious nature of past secretaries of state who were in the habit of secretly and arbitrarily changing the authorized petition form(s). Indeed, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, in office less than 18 months, already has changed the petition form for independent presidential candidates. Therefore, petitioners must work feverishly to get their candidate on the ballot before the next frivolous petition-form change," Steven R. Linnabary, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 21. July 18: Blog: A shadow sheds light on redistricting WASHINGTON, DC -- "It is clear to anyone who is paying attention that the American redistricting system is in need of reform. The districts which make up the building blocks of representative democracy are nearly always designed by politicians whose jobs (both current and future) and political power are determined by the way the lines are drawn. Already political strategists and party leaders are talking openly about the need for the major parties to capture state legislatures and governors’ mansions in 2010, so that their party would be in the best position to manipulate the redistricting which will follow the decennial census. Where politicians are unable to draw districts which decidedly skew the process towards their own party, they generally conspire with politicians on the other side of the aisle to create “safe” districts for both sides such that no incumbent need fear a serious general election challenge," J. Gerald Hebert and Susan Gershon, The Campaign Legal Center. July 17: Editorial: Got tickets? John Widowfield may yet achieve something at the Statehouse. Ohio State should end its special treatment of public officials COLUMBUS -- "John Widowfield faces long yardage, as they like to say at Ohio Stadium (when talking about the opposition). The Cuyahoga Falls Republican abandoned his seat in the legislature in May amid allegations that he purchased Ohio State football tickets with campaign money and then resold the tickets for more than the face value, pocketing the profit. The secretary of state's office is investigating. So is the legislative inspector general. One question hovering around Widowfield is: Did he violate campaign-finance laws? Another question involves the Ohio State policy of inviting state lawmakers and other public officials to purchase season tickets to Buckeye football games. Beacon Journal staff writers Stephanie Warsmith and Dennis J. Willard asked in their reports on Sunday and Monday: Will Widowfield ruin the party for everyone else, causing the university to alter a practice that has been in effect for decades?," Akron Beacon Journal. Posted July 15 July 16: Payday lenders request clarity on repeal petition COLUMBUS -- "The supporters of a proposal to repeal a section of Ohio law cracking down on payday lenders won't take "yes" for an answer. The payday lenders' group yesterday asked Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers to "define the precise language" that would be acceptable on a repeal petition. The unusual thing about the request is that Rogers already has approved language submitted by the committee on a third try. The approved version focuses only on the section capping interest rates at 28 percent annually, as opposed to the 391 percent allowed under previous law," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 15 Editorial: Confusing the issue Attorney general right to OK payday-loan petition, but the result could be legal chaos, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 15 July 15: Ohio voters may face host of statewide issues State seeking to move up petition deadlines COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's Nov. 4 ballot could be packed again with statewide issues ranging from casino gambling to sick leave, adding to the pressure on county boards of election to scrutinize every petition signature for error or fraud. So it should come as little surprise that voters will be confronted with a ballot issue on ballot issues. The state will seek to move up petition deadlines to give counties and courts more time to study petitions. 'When we did Reform Ohio Now [in 2005], it was like coordinating a massive wedding taking place in 88 different places,' said Catherine Turcer of the government watchdog, Ohio Citizen Action. 'It can be really hard for ordinary citizens to get something on the ballot. You want to have a fair process that is timely and allows officials to administer the election, but we don't want to make it too difficult to get access to the ballot or we'll have direct democracy in name only,' she said," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. July 14: Prized Buckeye tickets challenge officials' ethics The face value they pay is only a fraction of their true worth, and they go to those who fund, legislate and oversee the school COLUMBUS -- "When state Rep. John Widowfield cleaned out his office, resigned and left town on May 28, word quickly spread that he might have been involved in the illegal sale of Ohio State football tickets. It is alleged that the Cuyahoga Falls Republican used campaign funds to purchase and scalp the highly prized tickets. If he pocketed thousands of dollars from the sales, then Widowfield broke the law by converting campaign contributions for personal use.... Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, said purchasing the tickets raises ethical questions because the source is the university's lobbying office," Dennis J. Willard and Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal. July 14: Heydinger surprises Ohio Democrats, will not run for 2-year term 58th District official cites health concerns and dislike over campaign-finance influences COLUMBUS -- "Ohio House Democrats are scrambling again for a candidate in the Republican-leaning 58th District encompassing Huron, eastern Seneca, and southwestern Lorain counties. Rep. Tom Heydinger (D., Norwalk), just sworn into office in May, has opted not to seek election for a full two-year term on Nov. 4, citing "emerging health problems'' and a distaste for party headquarter "influences'' over campaigns. He did not resign from his seat, however. In a written statement, the 68-year-old former Huron County judge complained that the financing of House campaigns is almost completely controlled by the party headquarters in Columbus," Toledo Blade. Posted July 11. July 11: Payday lenders sue to get OK to start petition drive Some officials criticize partial repeal COLUMBUS -- "Ohio payday lenders can start collecting signatures for a ballot referendum that, if approved in November, would let them continue charging the same interest rate as they do today. Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers certified a petition summary that calls for a partial repeal of Ohio's new payday-lending law, now slated to take effect Sept. 1. But at the same time, she and others are warning that the effort could cause legal confusion by leaving two contrasting statutes in Ohio law. Two laws 'will be inherently confusing to prospective petition signers,' Rogers wrote in a letter to the Reject HB 545 Committee, adding that her concerns did not give her standing to reject the petition summary as not fair or truthful," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. July 10: New Guide brings redistricting out into the open NEW YORK -- "The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, George Mason University, and the Joyce Foundation are pleased to announce the release of A Citizen's Guide to Redistricting, authored by Brennan Center counsel Justin Levitt. The Citizen’s Guide is a comprehensive look at the rules for drawing district lines, including a description of how redistricting works today, how it could work in the future, and why redistricting reform matters. It presents easy-to-follow graphics as well as in-depth, state-by-state analysis of different redistricting processes.... Catherine Turcer, director of Ohio Citizen Action's Money in Politics Project says, 'This guide will be a key part of our educational effort as we push for more accountability from our elected officials. Voters should choose their representatives, rather than their representatives choosing them. Redistricting generally occurs only every ten years and with little public participation. It's time that we focus attention on the process,'" Justin Levitt, The Brennan Center. July 10: Brunner might permit voting-machine 'sleepovers' COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's elections chief is reconsidering a plan to prohibit poll workers from taking voting machines home for safekeeping in the days before the November presidential election. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced plans in February to scrap the practice known as "sleepovers" because of security concerns. But her proposal is being attacked by county elections officials who argue that the custom makes it easier to transport machines to polling sites. 'She has listened to the concerns of election officials and ultimately wants to do what is best for their process but also make sure that all safety precautions are considered,' Brunner spokesman Patrick Gallaway said yesterday," Stephen Majors, The Columbus Dispatch. July 10: Blog: Less costs more at Coleman fund-raiser COLUMBUS -- "Mayor Michael B. Coleman, re-elected less than one year ago to his third term, isn't ceding the fund-raising game to people actually on the ballot in 2008. Coleman will host his annual political shindig -- err, 'summer reception,' according to the e-mailed invitation -- tomorrow at the new 8 on the Square development at Broad and High," Randy Ludlow, Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 9: Brunner's office scrutinizes finances of state parties COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office has asked the state political parties to provide more information about their 2006 and 2007 campaign-finance reports, including a $20 payment from the Ohio Democratic Party to Jessica Utovich. She is the former scheduler for and frequent overnight guest of then-Attorney General Marc Dann; she had previously worked as a field organizer at the state party. In a June 16 letter to the party, Brunner's office noted there was a $20 expenditure in April 2006 to the Ashland County Democratic Party, but the canceled check showed the payee as Utovich, who went to work for Dann the next year," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. July 9: GOP chief's friend sues election panel for public records LUCAS COUNTY -- "A close associate of new Lucas County Republican Party Chairman Jon Stainbrook filed suit yesterday demanding release of public records from the Lucas County Board of Elections that she said were denied her during Mr. Stainbrook's contentious run for party chairman. The suit is yet another salvo in the battle between Mr. Stainbrook and the board of elections, whose two Republican directors he has asked to resign. Kelly Bensman, a friend of Mr. Stainbrook who helped him by monitoring the board of elections' handling of the central committee elections on March 4, said the suit filed yesterday was her own project," Tom Troy, Toledo Blade. July 8: Payday lenders sue to get OK to start petition drive Attorney general's review taking too long, industry says COLUMBUS -- "Frustrated by delays in getting the approval needed to begin collecting signatures for a ballot referendum, the payday-lending industry filed suit yesterday to cut Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers out of the petition process. Ohio law gives Rogers up to 10 business days to review and certify as truthful a petition summary that the Reject HB 545 Committee will use to collect the 241,365 valid signatures it needs to get a referendum on the ballot.... Filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the committee's lawsuit argues that the 10 business days eat up about 15 percent of the 90-calendar-day window within which the committee must collect its signatures. This, the lawsuit argues, impedes the right of referendum protected by the state Constitution," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Should we go to the ballot? Some considerations Ohio Citizen Action July 7: Foreclosed-on voters using old addresses could snag election COLUMBUS -- "Punch cards in Florida left the 2000 presidential election in limbo. Ohio's voting-machine shortage became a source of continuing controversy in 2004. If there's Election Day disorder brewing for 2008, it might well be rooted in the nation's mortgage-foreclosure crisis. In Columbus, across Ohio and in other key presidential battlegrounds, more people losing their homes means more registered to vote from addresses where they no longer live. Although federal law ensures that most still will be able to cast a ballot on Nov. 4, Ohio voters with outdated addresses risk pre-election challenges and trips from polling place to polling place. They're also more likely to cast provisional ballots that might not be counted," Robert Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch. July 4: Happy Independence Day! July 2: GOP candidates must refund donations Akron industrialist used personal PACs to exceed limits COLUMBUS -- "David Brennan, one of the state's biggest Republican donors, used two political-action committees to funnel nearly $30,000 to state Auditor Mary Taylor and three other GOP candidates -- and now they must give it back. In a deal with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the candidates have 30 days to return the money to prevent the filing of a complaint against Brennan with the Ohio Elections Commission. Brunner's office told Brennan in April that he likely ran afoul of campaign finance law. In 2006, the Akron industrialist and his wife, Ann, each gave the maximum $10,000 to Taylor, gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell and attorney general candidate Betty D. Montgomery. In 2007, each also gave $10,000 -- $670 under the maximum that year -- to Rep. William G. Batchelder, R-Medina," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Blog: White Hat Managements David Brennan, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner settle dispute over questionable political contributions Mark Rollenhagen, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Posted July 1. Four GOP candidates will return Brennan contributions Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted July 1. July 1: Tom Noe appeals, says he didn’t get a fair trial Attorneys cite bad publicity, judge’s errors COLUMBUS -- "Attorneys for Tom Noe say an onslaught of negative publicity deprived the former rare-coin dealer of a chance at a fair trial nearly two years ago. Noe’s attorneys, in their appellate brief filed yesterday in Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals, said the onetime GOP insider didn’t receive due justice on at least seven occasions during his 2006 trial in Lucas County stemming from charges he pilfered millions of dollars from a rare-coin fund he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation," Steve Eder, Toledo Blade. Noe appeal calls trial, 18-year term unfair Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. July 1: Editorial: Political patronage is out of control in Cuyahoga County CUYAHOGA COUNTY -- "There is not, nor has there ever been, a government entity that is entirely immune to the pressures of the political process. That is why it would be unreasonable for the public to think that Cuyahoga County's government should be any different. What's more, it would be naive to suggest that there is no room in government for a bit of political patronage - provided the political hires are filling jobs for which they are qualified. But what there is no room for in Cuyahoga County - or any county - is patronage so pervasive that it obliterates public confidence in government," Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 1: Lawyer: I informed ex-trustee of violation COLUMBUS -- "A former township trustee can’t serve in a position he voted to create. Paul Moracco said he would not accept the newly created position of roads superintendent and construction projects manager, said Atty. Mark S. Finamore, who advises the township. Moracco couldn’t be reached Monday," Denise Dick, Youngstown Vindicator. July 1: Libertarian Party sues to get onto Ohio ballot COLUMBUS -- "Ohio is the biggest swing state standing in the way of the Libertarian Party's national effort to place candidates on the November ballot. Advertisement The party has filed lawsuits against Ohio and Tennessee trying to strike down what it believes are unconstitutionally restrictive ballot-access regulations. The party's goal is to get former Georgia congressman Bob Barr on the ballot in 48 states either as an independent candidate or under the Libertarian label. So far he is on the ballot in 31 states," Stephen Majors, The Associated Press. June 30: Columbus on the Record COLUMBUS -- "Panelists: Laura Bischoff, Statehouse Reporter, Dayton Daily News; Reginald Fields, Columbus Bureau Reporter, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; Bob Clegg, Republican Strategist, Catherine Turcer, Legislative Director, Ohio Citizen Action. Likely Topics: John McCain in Ohio, McCain's Energy Plan, Kilroy and Stivers energy plans; Money and Politics; Elimination of the Income Tax; Study shows religious tolerance; Helmut Laws, Seatbelt laws v. personal choice / freedom," WOSU Television. Aired June 27. June 30: Blog: Proposed public-access rules for court records will go to Ohio Supreme Court for review COLUMBUS -- "A commission drawing up public-access rules for court records voted on Friday to forward a draft proposal to the Ohio Supreme Court for review. It is the closest the Commission on the Rules of Superintendence for Ohio Courts has come in two years of studying the topic to finally spelling out what a court record is and what should be available to the public. But the commission said it would also recommend that the seven justices give the public one last peek at the proposal and offer comments before the high court votes on the measure and makes it official," Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. June 30: Blog: Union County fair board sidesteps law UNION COUNTY-- "Dispatch reporter Holly Zachariah contributes this report: The members of the Union County Agricultural Society -- commonly known as the fair board -- might need a lesson in Ohio's open meetings laws. Their attorney might, too. The board had a crowd at its Marysville meeting last week where, it was expected, members would discuss the controversial proposal to sell beer at this year's Union County Fair, scheduled for July 21-27. A special 'beer committee' apparently had been studying the issue for several months. But, when it came time for committee reports, a member of the fair board made a motion to go into a closed-door session and discuss things in private," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. June 28: Ohio Supreme Court panel backs less-open records COLUMBUS -- "Responding to concerns about privacy and identity theft, an Ohio Supreme Court panel endorsed a measure yesterday that would allow all parties in court cases to ask to black out portions of court files. Advocates for open records have decried the privacy rules as another attempt to chip away at public access to information. The architects of the new rules, however, say that with an increasing amount of court information on the Internet, there's more opportunity for scam artists to harvest personal information," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. June 27: High Court deals blow to Campaign Finance Law Millionaire's Amendment' is ruled unconstitutional WASHINGTON, DC -- "The Supreme Court dealt another blow yesterday to the landmark 2002 campaign finance law crafted by Sens. John McCain and Russell Feingold, declaring unconstitutional a provision that eased fundraising restrictions for political candidates running against wealthy opponents who were bankrolling their own bids for federal office. In a 5 to 4 decision, the court said the "Millionaire's Amendment" to the law imposes an 'unprecedented penalty' on candidates who sought to underwrite their own campaigns," Matthew Mosk and Robert Barnes, Washington Post. June 26: Column:Voting's Neglected Scandal WASHINGTON, DC -- "When Barack Obama decided last week to throw off the constraints on campaign spending that go with the acceptance of public financing, he was rightly criticized for rigging the system in his favor. That was a predictable response. For the better part of four decades, the media and public interest groups have focused on campaign spending as the most serious distorting force in our elections. Meanwhile, they have paid much less attention to what may well be a larger problem: the way that district lines are drawn to create safe seats for one party or the other, in effect denying voters any choice of representation," David S. Broder, Washington Post. June 25: Blog: Improper records destruction can be costly COLUMBUS -- "Government officials and elected officeholders cannot arbitrarily discard or destroy public records. In fact, they are forbidden from throwing away a single piece of paper unless they have enacted a public-records retention schedule. The retention schedules outline classes of records and how long they must be saved before they can be discarded. The schedules must be approved by local records commissions and representatives of the Ohio Historical Society and state auditor," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. June 25: Editorial: Nothing but the truth Interim attorney general right to block inaccurate ballot-petition language COLUMBUS -- "The wording of petitions and ballot issues shouldn't confuse voters. The election process is undermined when officials fail to ensure that descriptions are free of bias, omissions and falsehoods. Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers did a service for Ohioans when she ruled on Thursday that supporters of payday lending weren't truthfully describing a new state law they seek to overturn. The Reject House Bill 545 Committee now must rewrite its summary on petitions before supporters can start collecting the 241,365 valid signatures needed to get the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot. Payday lenders contend that House Bill 545 will drive their 1,600 shops out of Ohio. The act caps the annualized interest rate for loans at 28 percent, down from a high of 391 percent. Organizers of the petition effort hope voters will overturn the law," Toledo Blade. June 24: Brunner promises 'foolproof' statewide system for election Secretary of state prepares counties for crush of Nov. voters COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner yesterday warned county elections officials that as many as 80 percent of registered voters could show up at the polls on Nov. 4 at a time when the nation, if not the world, will have the state under a microscope. Despite the fact that the Republican-controlled General Assembly shrugged off her proposal to replace new electronic voting machines with paper ballots, the Democrat predicted that Ohio will run a sound election that voters inside and outside the state can trust. 'I still believe a paper ballot system offers us the most flexibility for high turnout,' she said. 'This system will work in combination with the no-fault absentee voting, and with post-election audits and backup paper ballots. We'll have a foolproof system,'" Jim Provance, Toledo Blade. June 24: Voters to decide on ballot deadline extension SPRINGFIELD -- "Voters in Ohio will decide whether to change the filing deadline for statewide ballot issues — just one more decision on the November ballot already full of key races for national, state and local offices. Extending the filing deadline for 90 to 125 days would be beneficial for election officials by giving them more time to get approval on ballot language, explained Mary Beth Leep, county board of elections deputy director. 'That would be wonderful,' Leep said," Bridgette Outten, Springfield News-Sun. June 23:Do Ohioans trust their elected officials? Survey says 'No' COLUMBUS -- " If a recent survey of a small sample of Ohioans is indicative of the entire populace, Ohio politicians have a long way to go in both improving transparency in government and generally proving their trustworthiness to deliver policy decisions based on the interests of their constituents, not those of moneyed institutions. The results of the survey, released late last week by the Midwest Democracy Network, a cooperative of political reform advocates whose stated goal is to 'improve' democratic institutions in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, show a distrust pervading Ohioans' views of their elected officials.... According to Catherine Turcer, director of the money and politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, Ohio's sole representative in the Midwest Democracy Network, the results of the survey can be aptly summarized thusly: While Ohioans are suspicious that lobbyists have too much influence in policy making, they remain optimistic that systemic change is possible," jonathan Nawn, The Daily Reporter. Acces fee, no link. June 23: Ability to raise cash is key in winning Ohio House speaker post COLUMBUS -- " You want to make a state lawmaker really uncomfortable? Ring him up and start hammering away with questions about the lifeblood of modern American politics: The wheelbarrows full of money they rake in to climb atop the political heap. Like an arms race from the Cold War era, the effort by state lawmakers to raise prodigious sums of money to win elections grows bigger every year with no sign of letting up. In 2006 as Democrats and Republicans battled for control of the Ohio House the practice reached unprecedented heights with Republicans outspending Democrats, $8.5 million to $2.1 million," Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain dealer. June 22: Thomas Suddes: Everyone gained in Ohio high court's ruling on elections board COLUMBUS -- " The all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court did Democrats a favor last week, even if Democrats didn't get it, which is what happens when you look at Ohio politics like a high-school sports rivalry. One justice knifed two others in a 4-3 decision siding with Summit County Republican boss Alex R. Arshinkoff. Democrats don't seem to realize that GOP bench-bickering is an election-year plus," Thomas Suddes, The Columbus Dispatch. June 21: Marc Dann to reimburse campaign in response to audit But the former attorney general disputes audit questioning payments COLUMBUS -- " Ohio's former attorney general will reimburse his campaign for a few questionable payments caught by a state audit, but he suggested the secretary of state's review was largely unneeded. In an eight-page response to an audit letter that questioned more than $110,000 that he spent from his campaign account in 2007, Dann defended nearly all the expenditures as legitimate, allowable payments under Ohio law. Dann, who resigned May 14 as a result of a sexual harassment scandal, took on the audit letter from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office point-by-point, though several of his responses lacked clarity or detail," Reginald Field, Cleveland Plain dealer. June 20: Letter to the editor of The Other Paper: Theis is right COLUMBUS -- "I am writing to correct the inaccuracies contained in last week's letter to the editor by Matt Deters, who identified himself as a family member of former Ohio Treasurer Joe Deters. Matt Deters maintained that just two allies of Treasurer Deters pleaded guilty in connection to a 2004 pay-to-play scandal, and said the Other Paper made a mistake by quoting former Plain Dealer Bureau Chief Sandy Theis as saying that the scandal included three people. The Other Paper and Ms. Theis are correct: The Deters' lieutenants pleading guilty include former chief of staff Matthew Borges, fund-raiser Eric Sagun and political adviser Andy Futey. Matt Deters' letter also included the laughable assertion that the investigation, done by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, 'appears to have been politically motivated,'" Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action. Link to the letters to the editor of The Other Paper unavailable. June 20: Ex-state senator won't be charged in workers' comp probe Lawmaker accused of using influence to lower BWC rate Former State Senator Jeffry Armbruster COLUMBUS -- "Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien will not pursue criminal charges against former state Sen. Jeffry Armbruster, who was accused of using his position to gain favorable rate discounts for his business from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation. O'Brien released a brief letter yesterday that he wrote to Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe, saying, "After a detailed review, we have determined that there currently exists insufficient evidence to proceed with criminal charges in this matter. 'We did a fairly extensive investigation not only into BWC issues but some issues with the Lottery Commission and the tax department and concluded there is insufficient basis to form a criminal case,' said O'Brien, a Republican," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. June 19: Midwest Democracy Network releases survey CHICAGO -- "The Midwest Democracy Network released a new survey of Ohioans conducted by Belden Russonello & Stewart. Large majorities of Ohioans support political reform efforts: * 88% of those polled believe that government would work better if judges were required to step aside in cases in which the lawyers or the parties involved in the case have contributed to their election campaigns ( 88% believed that this reform would make a difference; 63% a big difference.) * 88% of Ohioans support reforms that prohibit state contractors from making political contributions to elected officials who issue contracts ( 88% believed that this reform would make a difference; 63% a big difference.) * 84% believe that right-to-know laws give the public more access to state government decisions on spending and programs (84% make difference; 58% big difference)," Highlights of the 5 Midwest Democracy Network States For more information, visit Midwest Democracy Network. June 18: Ohio campaign finance law ruled unconstitutional, again COLUMBUS -- "The legislature ... passed a version of the same bill ["Pay to Play" House Bill 694] again in the state’s 1,800 page budget last year. However, in a ruling late this morning, [Judge John F.] Bender also ruled that version unconstitutional as well, on a couple of grounds. 'No bill shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title,' Bender wrote citing the Ohio Constitution," Jodi Andes, The Columbus Dispatch Common Pleas Court Decision, "The day before Am. Sub. H.B. 119 was to be voted on, the Senate was presented with about 190 pages of amendments. The same amendments were presented to the House the day of the vote., The provisions amending R.C. 3517.093, 3517.13, and 3517.992 appear for the first time in the midst of those last minute amendments," Common Pleas Court Decision by Judge John F. Bender, June 18, 2008, page 11. June 18: Blog: 'Personal' audio recording of meeting is public COLUMBUS -- " A fiscal officer's 'personal' audio recordings of township trustees meetings are public records and may not be destroyed, according to an opinion issued by the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers. Union County Prosecutor David Phillips requested the opinion after questions apparently arose about audio recordings of trustees meetings made by the township's fiscal officer. The fiscal officer said the recordings were made only for his personal convenience for the purpose of preparing meeting minutes and were not 'official.' He erased the recordings once the trustees approved the minutes," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. June 18 : Board doesn't expect layoffs Court's elections seat decision shouldn't affect recent hires SUMMIT COUNTY -- "Summit County elections board members say they don't expect a bloodletting in the wake of an Ohio Supreme Court decision Monday that changed the board's makeup. In a long-awaited and divided decision, the justices ruled that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner overstepped her authority in appointing Akron attorney Don Varian to the board, rather than Brian Daley, the candidate recommended by the Summit County Republican Party. The court ordered Daley be put on the board in Varian's place," Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal. June 17: Board of Elections pressed to pick new voting machines on Friday COLUMBUS -- " Cuyahoga County election officials, who have already missed one self-imposed deadline, are being pressured to pick a new voting system on Friday. But the four Board of Elections members still don't know which way they want to go. One system would cost about $9 million; the other $13.4 million. Members are impressed by both companies selling their wares and are hopeful that responses to contract proposals will point them to one firm," Joe Guillen, The Plain Dealer. June 17: GOP wins Brunner case; seat goes to Arshinkoff pick Ohio high court reverses appointment COLUMBUS -- "In a split decision announced Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court sided with Summit County Republican Chairman Alex Arshinkoff in the long-simmering power struggle for control of a GOP seat on the county board of elections. By a 4-3 vote, the high court ordered Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to bow to the party's choice of former Hudson Council President Brian Daley, instead of Akron attorney Don Varian — a Republican who was appointed at the suggestion of a Democrat. 'We are happy to be back in the saddle again,' Arshinkoff said," Jim Carney, Akron Beacon Journal Ohio top court orders that Brian Daley be put on Summit elections board, Mark Rollenhagen, The Plain Dealer June 17 : Blog: Ballot language rejected by attorney general COLUMBUS -- "The wording summary of a proposed state constitutional amendment to control dues deductions funneled to political donations has been rejected by Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. June 16: Ohio prepares for long ballots, long lines COLUMBUS -- "With many Ohio elections officials still haunted by the memory of long lines at the polls in the 2004 presidential election, they are watching the lengthening list of possible state and local issues for the Nov. 4 ballot with growing trepidation. A long list of issues not only would increase the time it takes voters to cast a ballot when a record turnout is expected, it means higher costs for counties to print and mail absentee ballots, too. 'I think everybody's thinking about it,' said Shannon Leininger, president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. June 15: Voting commission plagued by problems, limited funds COLUMBUS -- "t was not an auspicious beginning. The year was 2004 and the newest federal agency had no desks, no computers, and no office to put them in. It had neither an address nor a phone number. Early meetings convened in a Starbucks near a Metro stop in downtown Washington. Somehow, Congress had neglected to fund the Election Assistance Commission, a small group with a massive task: coordinating one of the most sweeping voter reform packages in decades," Deborah Hastings, Associated Press. June 14: Court deems campaign finance rules too weak WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled yesterday that the Federal Election Commission has failed to adequately enforce key aspects of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance restructuring that Congress passed six years ago, and urged the FEC to write new rules that help prevent corporations, unions and special interest groups from influencing federal elections. 'Basically, we're now getting into our fourth election cycle under McCain-Feingold, and we still don't know what the rules are,' said Richard L. Hasen, an election law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles," Matthew Mosk, The Washington Post Court says campaign finance rules too weak, The Columbus Dispatch June 11: Brunner offers plan for secure Nov. 4 voting COLUMBUS -- Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wants all county elections boards to prepare detailed security plans for state approval and have them all conduct post-election audits to ensure the Nov. 4 vote is protected and accurate. Those items were among the recommendations in a 23-page post-primary report Brunner issued today to recap the primary and to look ahead to what is expected to be a record voter turnout for the presidential race this fall. Brunner concluded that the March primary in Ohio went well, despite flooding in several counties, ice storms, bomb threats, ballot shortages in some areas and other scattered problems," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. 2008 Primary Report, Jennifer Brunner, Ohio Secretary of State June 11: Private talks legit, Delaware County commissioners say Officials met individually on courthouse design DELAWARE -- Delaware County commissioners may have improperly met in secret with a consultant about the design of a new county courthouse. The commissioners met individually in private last Thursday with Pizzuti Solutions officials in prearranged, back-to-back meetings. A Pizzuti e-mail obtained by The Dispatch says the commissioners selected one of two designs before 'the formal public presentation' Thursday," Randy Ludlow and and Dana Wilson, The Columbus Dispatch. BLOG: Back-to-back meetings dodge Sunshine laws, Randy ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch June 11: Absentee ballots to carry warnings, instructions LUCAS COUNTY -- "Following March's primary - when 1,570 absentee ballots were invalidated - the Lucas County Board of Elections is planning to add more warnings and instructions to ballots for the August and November elections.... The return mailing envelope also will now include a checklist of requirements in order for a ballot to be counted, similar to what some utility companies use when sending bills to customers. 'We want to make this as plain as possible,' said Dan Pilrose, the board of elections director," Alex M. Parker, Toledo Blade. June 8: White House race overshadows Ohio attorney general contest COLUMBUS -- "This fall's unexpected race for Ohio attorney general will feel about as short as the presidential race does long.... Ohio's statewide races typically enjoy the limelight. They take place every four years _ on a cycle so they don't coincide with presidential races. Most recent state campaigns have taken shape, and begun raising money, two years or more ahead of Election Day. The first ad in the 2006 gubernatorial race ran in August, at which point the campaigns had already raised millions of dollars each. 'It will be harder to analyze the money,' said Catherine Turcer, who monitors campaign spending for the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action. 'It's all going to come in at the last minute,'" Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press. June 8: Giving and getting Lawmakers' budget 'earmarks' benefit companies; campaign cash often flows right back WASHINGTON -- "When TPI Composites showed off the new armored vehicle it helped build at its growing Ohio factory in Springfield last year, company officials invited Rep. David L. Hobson as a special guest, hailing his crucial support for using the company's material in a lightweight Humvee for the Army.... Any member of the House and Senate can insert pet projects, dubbed earmarks, into a spending bill. The number of earmarks -- and their cost to taxpayers -- has exploded in recent years, sparking complaints of profligate spending run amok and lawmakers steering federal dollars to benefit political associates, business partners or campaign contributors more than the public. Of course, many lawmakers, including Hobson, steer federal dollars to children's hospitals, public universities and local governments to build roads, bridges and sewer systems. And congressional records show that Hobson often wins earmarks for companies that have not contributed to his campaigns," Jonathan Riskind and Jack Torry, The Columbus Dispatch. June 6: Absentee-voting place to change Summit County residents to cast early Nov. 4 ballots at Job Center SUMMIT COUNTY -- "Summit County residents who wish to vote absentee in person before the November general election will be able to avoid the cramped quarters at the Board of Elections. Board members Thursday approved the Job Center, 1040 E. Tallmadge Ave. in Akron, as the place where voters can go early to cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 presidential election. Board members had hoped the state would allow elections boards to designate more than one place for absentee voting. The board had wanted to retain absentee voting at its headquarters on Grant Avenue and add the Job Center location," Carl Chancellor, Akron Beacon Journal. June 5: Commentary: Are we condemned to repeat it? COLUMBUS -- "It's election year in Ohio, likely to be pivotal in the presidential contest. Everyone expects a close race. Yet there's great concern about whether the state's election infrastructure can hold up to the pressure that will be upon it. Of special concern is the voting equipment to be used, particularly in the state's largest and most diverse county. Another worry is provisional ballots, upon which the state increasingly relies for registration problems, voters who lack proper ID, and those who've moved. If the election is close enough, the two major parties could wind up fighting over which provisional ballots should count. The spectre of litigation thus hangs heavy over the state. To top it all off, there have been repeated accusations of partisanship by Ohio's chief election official, the Secretary of State, from the opposing party. Any of this sound familiar,?" Daniel Tokaji, Moritz College of Law. June 4: Women who paved way to Statehouse get display Ladies' Gallery to tell story of first female lawmakers, suffrage movement COLUMBUS -- "When Lulu Thomas Gleason won a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1922, she was not only one of the first women elected to the legislature but also the first to do it with an all-female campaign staff. Gleason and five other women who smashed the gender barrier in the Ohio General Assembly -- doing so just two years after women were given the right to vote -- will be honored June 17 with the dedication of the Ladies' Gallery at the Ohio Statehouse.... Gregg Dodd, spokesman for the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, said the gallery is a 'vivid, colorful and interactive place of learning where children and families can experience the sights, sounds and feel of the period when women fought for and won the right to vote. … The enduring goal is to inform and inspire all who visit -- especially young women and girls -- to take an active role in democracy,'" Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. June 4: Attorney general tackles conflicts COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's new attorney general took several steps yesterday to remove herself from a sticky web of relationships that could affect her ability to do her job impartially. Nancy Hardin Rogers, on leave from her job as dean of the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, said she'll remove herself from any decisions involving the university or the influential law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, where her husband, Douglas R. Rogers, is a partner. The law firm has more than $1 million in legal contracts with the attorney general's office," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. June 3: Columbus on the Record COLUMBUS -- "Panelists: Reggie Fields, Columbus Bureau Reporter, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; Jeff Winbush, writer, The Columbus Post; Catherine Turcer, Legislative Director, Ohio Citizen Action; Bob Clegg, Republican Strategist. Likely Topics: The new interim Attorney General; John McCain's relationship with Rev. Rod Parsley; Change at the top of the Ohio Dept. of Education; Governor Strickland's war on poverty," WOSU Television. Aired May 30. June 3 : Editorial: Flex time for voters State lawmakers make a sound adjustment for absentee ballots SUMMIT COUNTY -- "The first presidential election since a change in Ohio law that permits absentee voting without a reason has election officials across the state bracing to handle an avalanche of ballots. In Summit County, estimates have climbed. Some 100,000 absentee ballots could be cast this fall. Lawmakers expanded absentee voting in 2006 as a way to ease long lines at the polls. In 2007, the Summit elections board experienced a major glitch. Some 200 absentee ballots arrived at the board after Election Day, too late to be counted. The error by the Postal Service led to understandable speculation about the outcome of several close races," Akron Beacon Journal. June 3 : Editorial: Our view: The real scandal about campaign funds is what's legal COLUMBUS -- "Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann is in a new kind of trouble. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is asking questions about his use of campaign contributions. One issue is $33,000 in security improvements to his home. Another is a vehicle (and whether it was used for personal trips). And there are travel expenses, and more. Facts are still to emerge. What can be said now is that getting seriously punished for misuse of campaign funds is not easy. The scandal in this realm is not so much what happens that is illegal, but what is legal.... Specifically, an officeholder has considerable leeway to use campaign funds not only for campaigns, but for expenses entailed — and supposedly entailed — in actually holding the office," Dayton Daily News. June 1: Mary McCarty: Ohio's new attorney general is content to be a short-timer COLUMBUS -- "In a rare chorus of unanimity, Ohio officials seem to agree: Nancy Hardin Rogers is perfect for the job of attorney general.... [But] she doesn't choose to [run]. 'By not running, I can focus on the office for the next few months.' She wants the public's attention to become refocused on the good work being performed by her 1,400 new colleagues. 'They are accustomed to what has been a wonderful reputation,' she said, 'but now when they go to a social occasion they are constantly being asked about what happened. It's pivotal to turn this around quickly if we want to recruit top lawyers.'... The common wisdom in Columbus is that she lacks the backing of the party machinery as well as the knack for dialing for dollars. 'Sometimes politics is like high school,' admits Catherine Turcer of the citizen advocacy group Ohio Citizen Action. 'There are the movers and the shakers. To be electable you have to be able to raise money and to network in a way that not everybody can,'" Mary McCarty, Dayton Daily News. June 1: Editorial: Don't overreact Expanding the power of the Ohio inspector general should be weighed carefully COLUMBUS -- "Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted, R-Kettering, said the legislature won't rush into expanding the powers of the state inspector general's office in reaction to the attorney general scandal. That's wise because a bill introduced on May 23 to broaden the scope of the inspector general's authority raises some red flags.... The inspector general is authorized to investigate agencies and departments only in the governor's administration. The bill would expand that jurisdiction to include all the statewide elective offices, and it would shift the authority for appointing the inspector general, subject to Senate confirmation, from the governor to the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. This change would take effect in 2011. Inspector General Thomas P. Charles has said that a permanent expansion of his authority would require an increase in his staff," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. June 1: BLOG:Dann used campaign cash for rapper Ludacris concert COLUMBUS -- "Former Attorney General Marc Dann tapped his campaign for dozens of expenditures that are being questioned by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office, including tickets for a Youngstown rap concert, his law firm's cell phone bill, bicycle rentals and the gas and water bills on his Liberty Township home,"The Columbus Dispatch. May 31: Now, it's Dann's campaign expenses Audit questions his use of tens of thousands of dollars COLUMBUS -- "Former Attorney General Marc Dann is being ordered to explain thousands of dollars in unorthodox campaign expenditures, including tickets for a concert by rapper Ludacris, $16,309 in cell-phone service for his law firm, bicycle rentals and payments apparently for his home gas and water bills.... A letter to Dann's campaign by J. Curtis Mayhew, Brunner's campaign-finance director, referenced a section of Ohio campaign-finance law that 'expressly prohibits use of campaign funds for personal or business benefit of the candidate or any other person.'... Yesterday's letter came as two key administrators in the attorney general's office announced their resignations," Alan Johnson and James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Administrators question Dann's use of funds, Laura A. Bischoff and Jessica Wehrman, Dayton Daily News May 30: Ex-lawmaker still may face prosecution in OSU ticket sales COLUMBUS -- "State lawmakers have been warned at least three times in the past two years that they are not allowed to resell their Ohio State football tickets for a profit. Both Senate President Bill M. Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted said yesterday that members should have been aware of the law, which allegedly has been violated for years by former Rep. John Widowfield, a Cuyahoga Falls Republican who resigned Wednesday. He apparently purchased tickets with campaign money and sold them online for a profit. His resignation followed a private meeting of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, which had begun investigating his alleged scalping activities," Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. Inspector General's email prohibiting the sale of tickets "The Ohio State University provides complimentary tickets to certain football games to a number of legislators. The university also makes season tickets available for purchase by legislators. If a legislator has football tickets given to her free of charge, or season tickets purchased via the university's offer to legislators, the tickets may not be sold for a profit. This conclusion is based not on any municipal ordinance, which may prevent ticket scalping, but on Ohio's Ethics Law. Any legislator or legislative employee who obtains a ticket because of her status as a public official or employee, may not sell that ticket in order to realize personal profit. A ticket holder may not give the ticket to another person with the understanding that the ticket will be sold and the profits divided. An employee, who receives a ticket from a legislator, may not sell the ticket for profit. The ticket may be given away or sold at the purchase price, but no profit may be realized," Email from Tony Bledsoe, Legislative Inspector General, Nov. 24, 2006. National Championship game 2006 National Championship game 2008 May 29: House member in ticket trouble Lawmaker resigns after ethics panel looks into scalping COLUMBUS -- "An Akron-area House member resigned yesterday after officials discovered that he apparently bought Ohio State football tickets with campaign money and then resold them for a profit. Rep. John Widowfield, R-Cuyahoga Falls, started his day by attending a morning Education Committee hearing. But by 1 p.m. he had turned in his resignation, after the bipartisan Joint Legislative Ethics Committee met privately yesterday morning and began investigating his ticket situation.... Though some government watchdog groups question the practice, purchasing football tickets with campaign money is legal. However, using those tickets to make a personal profit by selling them over the Internet is not.," Jim Siegel , The Columbus Dispatch Legislator quits amid sale claim, Dennis Willard and Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal May 28: Brunner gets few changes by panel Election-law bill going before Senate limits her directives COLUMBUS -- "A Senate committee voted yesterday for some but not all changes that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is seeking for the Nov. 4 election, while also adding some amendments aimed at actions Brunner has taken in recent months. Among the proposed changes in the bill, which now goes to the full Senate: Bipartisan teams must transport ballots and machine memory cards from the polls, and absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they are received up to the 11th day after an election. But the bill also includes provisions that Brunner didn't seek, including allowing the secretary of state to issue only temporary directives 90 days before and 40 days after an election, and requiring public review before any permanent order," Mark Niquette and Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch. May 26: Signing election petitions goes high-tech COLUMBUS -- "Technology finally has caught up with the decades-old pen-and-paper process used to gather signatures of registered voters to place issues on the ballot. A new high-tech system is being pioneered locally by the Ohio Petition Co., a Columbus business that sprang up after a strip-club issue dismally failed to qualify for the November ballot. Backers of the petition drive spent $1.5 million, but only 29 percent of the signatures were valid, dooming the effort.... The new system uses a 'digital pen' that captures signatures electronically on special paper. It transmits them to a BlackBerry, which, in turn, sends the information to a computer, where the signatures and accompanying details are checked visually against a statewide voter-registration database maintained by county boards of elections," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. May 26: BLOG: Round the Rotunda: Apathy abounds at the Statehouse, comprende? COLUMBUS -- "You can tell when the calendar is flipping closer to Election Day at the Statehouse, because that's when the bills chock full o' symbolism and devoid of content come out of hiding," Aaron Marshall , The Plain Dealer. May 23: IG would be picked by chief justice, could investigate all statewides, under new bill COLUMBUS -- "House Republicans will introduce a bill today to expand the power of Ohio’s inspector general to investigate all statewide executive officeholders and eventually transfer the authority to appoint the inspector general from the governor to Ohio’s chief justice.... [Ohio House Speaker Jon] Husted said the bill would give the inspector general permanent authority to also investigate the offices of attorney general, treasurer, auditor and secretary of state. 'We know who to call when there are allegations of wrongdoing in the administration, but with respect to those other offices, who do you call?' Husted said." Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch. May 23: Bill would allow mail-only voting in some elections. Backers say it ends lines, boosts voter participation; critics say it increases errors and fraud, skews results COLUMBUS -- Voting by mail is easy, increases turnout and removes the drudgery of waiting in long lines at polling places, backers say.... 'It's likely to skew the electorate. There's some evidence that it results in a small increase in turnout. That's the upside. The downside is the increase occurs with groups that are older, richer, whiter,'Tokaji said. [Dan Tokaji, a law professor at Ohio State University who specializes in elections] 'Closing down polling places is not the way to broaden the electorate,'" John McCarthy, Associated Press. May 22: Ex-AG spent campaign cash in surprising places COLUMBUS -- "Government watchdog Catherine Turcer said that the campaign expenses did not appear to have anything to do with campaigning. '(Dann) basically created a giant slush fund so he could eat out whenever he felt like it,' Turcer said." Paul Aker, investigative reporter, WBNS 10 TV News. May 22: Dann frequently dined on donors' dime Dann defends the charges, saying he billed his campaign instead of asking for meal reimbursement. WASHINGTON -- "Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann ate out on his donors' dime more than 300 times between Jan. 2, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007 — dining out at places as disparate as McDonald's, where he once put 35 cents on his campaign's debit card, to $330.45 at an Akron eatery.... Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, was among those calling the charges egregious. 'There's a difference between, 'I have to raise money so I can have a conversation with voters' and 'I have to raise money so I can get myself a hamburger,'' she said. 'How could he even think this is OK?,'" Jessica Wehrman, Dayton Daily News. May 22: Campaign finance watchdogs say Dann may have violated law's spirit The former attorney general used donations to buy meals, reports filed with state show. WASHINGTON -- "Between political luncheons and banquets, dinners with staff and stops at gas stations for sodas and newspapers, former Attorney General Marc Dann often relied on his campaign kitty for meal money throughout his first year in office. The charges aren't illegal, but campaign finance watchdogs say the funds are supposed to be used for election purposes or to assist in performing one's duty in office. Dann, they say, may have violated the spirit of the law.... Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a citizen advocacy group, argued that Dann should have used his own money for basic expenses. 'There's a point where you know you're just taking advantage,' she said. 'And let's face it, he was just taking advantage,'" Jessica Wehrman, Dayton Daily News. May 21: Ohio group seeks to overturn pre-election ban on certain ads COLUMBUS -- "The state ban on issue ads that mention political candidates by name within 30 days of an election should be overturned because it violates the First Amendment, an anti-abortion group said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.... Ohio's provision bans unions, nonprofit organizations and corporations from airing broadcast ads that include the names of candidates within 30 days of an election, said William Todd, a lawyer and Republican insider who filed the lawsuit for Ohio Right to Life. 'We got into this circumstance because the Ohio General Assembly crafted this law that was nonsensical,' said Catherine Turcer, an elections specialist at Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit good-government group. 'When we craft campaign finance regulations, we need to be very careful of preserving First Amendment rights. And it is a surprisingly tremendous challenge,'" Matt Reed, The Associated Press. Brennan Center for Justice Report: Campaign Finance in Ohio Suzanne Novak, Maneesh Sharma and Bethany Foster. Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. March 19, 2007. Page 18 May 20: All state officials may face scrutiny Inspector general could get more power COLUMBUS -- "Less than a week after lawmakers unleashed Ohio's political watchdog on former Attorney General Marc Dann, some lawmakers are ready to give the investigator permanent authority to probe other statewide officeholders as well. The idea, sources said, would remove the restrictions on the Ohio inspector general's office that keep it from investigating independent officeholders: the attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor and treasurer... Currently, the inspector general only has the power to investigate agencies under the governor's control -- including state universities, bureaucracies and state commissions, but not courts, the House and Senate or independently elected officials," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. May 20: Jeff Stahler / Columbus Dispatch May 18: States vary in government watchdogs Ohio's Office of Inspector General was established in 1988 under the Celeste administration. COLUMBUS -- "There's no perfect way to spotlight and weed out corruption and wrongdoing in state government, but Ohio and other states keep trying. Nationally there's a patchwork, with individual states embracing different oversight responsibilities for the inspector general, said Fred Palm, who's conducting a study of the 23 existing states attorneys general.... Some favor giving the inspector general permanent oversight over the attorney general and the other statewide nonjudicial offices: secretary of state, auditor and treasurer. Just knowing that somebody's watching can be a deterrent, said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, a liberal-leaning citizen advocacy group, " William Hershey and Jessica Wehrman, The Western Star. May 17: Business goes on as fallout of Dann scandal looms COLUMBUS -- "Inspector General Tom Charles began a wide-ranging investigation into the attorney general’s office on Wednesday, the day after a bill was enacted giving his office new authority to do so.... Charles volunteered to reporters this week that issues may arise during his probe that require the expertise of the Ohio Elections Commission or the secretary of state’s office, which oversees election matters — hinting he may be looking at links between Dann’s official decisions as attorney general and contributions made to his campaign. An analysis of Dann’s 2006 campaign contributions by Ohio Citizen Action, a nonprofit government watchdog group, found ideological entities, including the Democratic Party, led the giving to Dann," The Associated Press. COLUMBUS -- Dann's gone, but investigation remains?, Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press. May 17: BWC slow to show suit's money trail Blacked-out bills given to 'Dispatch' COLUMBUS -- "It seemed like a straightforward question: How much did it cost Ohio taxpayers to pursue the civil lawsuit against Mark D. Lay, and how was the money spent? But getting the answer proved complicated, in part because the state Bureau of Workers' Compensation initially blacked out from the bills details such as a $6,000 trip to Bermuda to interview witnesses. The bureau called it an inadvertent mistake. The Dispatch made a request last month for all records documenting the cost for the lawsuit against Lay, who managed a Bermuda-based hedge fund for the bureau that lost $216 million before it was shut down in 2005," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. BLOG: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again COLUMBUS -- "Getting to the truth was not easy. First, Niquette's request for the lawyers' spending records was denied. Then, sections were redacted or blocked out. Then, finally, unredacted copies were made available," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. May 17: Court reverses order for Perz to pay costs TOLEDO -- "An Ohio appellate court has ruled that local Republican and former state Rep. Sally Perz cannot be ordered to pay the prosecution costs stemming from her 2006 conviction for violating state ethics law. The decision, released yesterday, was the second time within a year that the 6th District Court of Appeals reversed Judge Mark Reddin over the financial sanctions imposed on Ms. Perz for taking money from Tom Noe to attend a presidential fund-raiser in 2003," Mark Reiter, Toledo Blade. May 16: No limits on Dann probe 10-plus agencies collaborating, inspector says COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles says the focus of his investigation of former Attorney General Marc Dann is simple: 'everything and anything.' Charles and a diverse task force involving 10 or more state and federal agencies will probe a broad range of issues, some of them potentially criminal, in a one-of-a-kind investigation authorized by the legislature and approved by Gov. Ted Strickland this week....The emergency legislation empowers the inspector general to head the investigation just this once. Charles' agency is normally limited to investigating those agencies under the governor's control.... The investigative task force will be modeled after one used successfully in the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation investment scandal in 2005, Charles said," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. COLUMBUS -- Inspector General Tom Charles pledges broad Dann investigation, Reginald Fields, Plain Dealer. May 16: Delaware County: Unbid contracts prompt questions Man works for board he ran DELAWARE, Ohio -- " In the space of three days, a husband-and-wife law firm and their 12-day-old company received two unbid public contracts worth more than $125,000. First, Rodd and Linda Lawrence won a $150-an-hour contract from the Delaware County commissioners to provide economic-development consulting. Two days later, the Delaware County Port Authority Board elected new officers. Mr. Lawrence, the chairman when the meeting began, wrote a letter of resignation on the spot. He then walked to the other side of the table and immediately proposed that the board hire his law firm at a rate of $225 an hour. Within minutes, the board hired him," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. BLOG: 'You know this is confidential, right?' COLUMBUS -- "Once again, a governmental entity -- this time, the Delaware County commissioners -- have entered an improper agreement to keep things secret. Besides ethics questions swirling about the deal, two lame-duck commissioners last week approved this contract with a long list of confidentiality requirements. The contract essentially states that every piece of paper the company gives the county is confidential and can be shared with no one, public records laws aside," Randy Ludlow, The Columbus Dispatch. May 16: Look at these lines. Can't we make voting easier? A recent ruling points to an even tougher process AKRON -- "For many citizens, the democratic process has become too much of one. While it may be fashionable to complain about nothing getting done in Washington or Columbus no matter who is in charge, cumbersome voting procedures are probably as much to blame for low turnout as rampant cynicism.... But instead of making the process easier, it appears a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision will make it tougher. The high court, on a 6-3 vote, upheld Indiana's voter identification law. That law, pushed through a Republican-dominated legislature in 2005 without a single Democrat voting for it, requires, for most voters, that they produce a driver's license or passport. The Indiana law is viewed by experts as the strictest in the country ," Steve Hoffman, Akron Beacon Journal. Published Thursday, May 15 May 15: Editorial: No excuse for discarded votes TOLEDO -- "Voting is one of the most important civic duties performed by any American citizen, a responsibility that should not be treated cavalierly by election officials. Yet that is exactly what happened when the Lucas County Board of Elections threw out 921 absentee ballots from the March 4 primary because voters failed to seal their ballots inside privacy envelopes that were too small for the purpose. Instead, these voters were needlessly disenfranchised because they sealed the ballots and privacy envelopes separately inside a larger prepaid, preaddressed mailing envelope and sent the whole package back to the elections board," Toledo Blade. May 14: Dann denied an exit deal Inspector general granted authority to start probe today COLUMBUS -- "Inspector General Thomas P. Charles is poised to launch an investigation into Attorney General Marc Dann's office today, after legislative leaders rejected an offer from Dann to resign yesterday if they delayed the inquiry. Instead, an emergency bill temporarily expanding Charles' authority rocketed through the legislature to Gov. Ted Strickland, who signed it into law last night. Charles said he is 'prepared and ready to go to work' today. Dann's attempt to broker a deal for his resignation came hours after House Democrats filed nine articles of impeachment, a first in Ohio history against a statewide officeholder," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. May 14: Lucas County campaign donation disclosure rule passes Residents get monitoring tool TOLEDO -- "A new policy in Lucas County will require anyone aiming for a county contract to disclose any campaign contributions they have made to elected county officials. The county commissioners unanimously approved a resolution, introduced by Commissioner Ben Konop, requiring the disclosure for any contract that's more than $10,000.... Campaign contributions are disclosed in reports filed with the board of elections, but Mr. Konop said the extra disclosure requirement would help county residents monitor their elected officials. Residents will be able to view the disclosure forms on the county's Web site," Alex M. Parker, Toledo Blade. May 13: Primary paper ballots costly 880,000 printed; only 13,400 used COLUMBUS -- "It cost Ohio counties using touch-screen voting machines at least $358,000 combined to provide paper ballots for the March 4 primary, or about $27 per vote cast with those ballots, preliminary data show. Franklin County and the 52 other counties with touch screens printed more than 880,000 paper ballots for the primary at the direction of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, but only about 13,400 votes were cast using those ballots, according to initial numbers from Brunner's office requested by The Dispatch," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. May 12: Group wary of justices, money link COLUMBUS -- "Pointing to a new report that says money is the 'mother's milk' of Ohio Supreme Court races, a reform-minded group is asking justices to step down from cases in which one of the parties donated significant amounts to his or her campaign. Ohio Citizen Action asked the Supreme Court's task force dealing with judicial conduct to consider forcing justices to recuse themselves from cases involving major contributors, although the group did not suggest a dollar amount," James Nash, Columbus Dispatch. Published Tuesday, May 10. COLUMBUS -- Letter to Judge Thomas Bryant, Chair Task Force on the Code of Judicial Conduct Supreme Court of Ohio, "At minimum, a rule should be established that triggers disqualification after receipt of a large aggregate contribution, not just from a single donor, but collectively from all donors associated with a party to litigation or with counsel.  An example of aggregate contributions that could trigger disqualification would be contributions from corporate officers, management-level employees and law firm partners," Catherine Turcer, Director of the Money in Politics Project, Ohio Citizen Action. 31 Kb doc. May 12: Confusing ballot designs still plague elections COLUMBUS -- "The solution should have been a no-brainer, voting experts say. After all, it was a badly designed ballot that enflamed the 2000 election meltdown and introduced the vagaries of chads to the political lexicon - pregnant, hanging and otherwise. So it would seem that redesigning ballots to make them simpler should have been a high priority. But that hasn't been the case, voting experts say... In Ohio's problem-prone Cuyahoga County, home to Cleveland, several March 4 primary voters became upset when poll workers insisted they remove a perforated ballot stub, used as an accounting device, on which was clearly printed 'Do not remove.' Voters feared their ballot wouldn't be counted," Columbus Dispatch. COLUMBUS -- Brunner to get JFK award, Secretary of state honored for her steadfast push toward paper ballots, Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. May 12: Power play at state patrol COLUMBUS -- "Finamore was about to be fired in an inglorious end to a solid, 29-year career. But the patrol backed off and struck a secret deal in which he retired from his $127,149-a-year job. With the deal's terms prohibiting discussion of the case, Finamore was placed on paid leave until he retired March 29 under a 'confidential settlement agreement.' Citing the confidentiality clause, neither state officials nor Finamore nor his attorney, Jonathan Downes, would discuss the case. This story is based on public records obtained by The Dispatch. Finamore also agreed to withdraw prior public-records requests and not file another with the Department of Public Safety before Jan. 9, 2015 -- three days before Gov. Ted Strickland would leave office if he serves a second term," Randy Ludlow, Columbus Dispatch. Published May 11. May 9: Dann's ethics form for Washington trip missing His office says a Cincinnati law firm has yet to bill the state for the June trip COLUMBUS -- "...Dann's last financial disclosure statement is missing a trip from June when, as attorney general, he flew to Washington, D.C., on a private jet owned by Cincinnati attorney Stan Chesley for an overnight trip to deal with a securities case... Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a good government watchdog group, says you can't wait years to disclose a freebie from a government contractor. 'We need to know how state contractors are trying to influence the process. They can do that with campaign contributions or gifts or services to the officeholders,' Turcer said. 'The way we addressed that in Ohio is we say you can accept that but it must be disclosed and fairly soon. Disclosure only works if we know about it fairly soon. You can't wait years.' Ethics Commission Director David Freel declined to comment on the matter,'" Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News. COLUMBUS -- Dann's campaign fund to undergo routine audit, Laura Bischoff, Dayton Daily News. Published May 8. May 8: Why Judicial Independence Matters COLUMBUS -- "Judicial independence means that judges are free to decide cases fairly and impartially, relying only on the facts and the law. It means that judges are protected from political pressure, legislative pressure, special interest pressure, media pressure, public pressure, financial pressure, or even personal pressure. Judicial independence goes back to the U.S. Constitution. Our country’s founders, and each state’s founders, worked to protect courts from undue pressure. They knew that it takes fair and impartial decisions to protect our rights—and uphold the rule of law. More than 200 years later, judicial independence is still an important issue. Indeed, the threat to fair and impartial courts—and judicial independence—is growing," press release, Justice at Stake. Full text of study COLUMBUS -- Public comment on Code of Judicial conduct, Catherine Turcer, Director of Ohio Citizen Action's Money in Politics Project. May 1, 2008. May 8: 3 counties in a spot over voting machines Brunner has second thoughts on testing systems COLUMBUS -- "Based on concerns expressed by Gov. Ted Strickland and others, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is re-examining a proposal to enable Ohio to test and approve new voting systems that have not been federally certified. That leaves Cuyahoga County, the state's most populous, and two others with a decision: They must buy older equipment for the Nov. 4 election, ask the legislature to allow them to use the equipment they have now or find another option. The state Board of Voting Machine Examiners voted 2-1 last week to pursue a plan to change an Ohio rule requiring that any voting device approved for use in the state also must have federal certification," Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. May 7: Lacking IDs, nuns denied ballots SOUTH BEND, IN -- "About 12 Indiana nuns were turned away yesterday from a polling place by a fellow sister because they didn't have state or federal identification bearing a photograph. Sister Julie McGuire said she was forced to turn away her fellow members of Saint Mary's Convent in South Bend, across the street from the University of Notre Dame, because they had been told that they would need such an ID to vote. The nuns, all in their 80s or 90s, didn't get one but came to the precinct anyway... Some showed up with outdated passports. None of them drives. They weren't given provisional ballots because it would be impossible to get them to a motor-vehicle branch and back within the 10 days allotted by the law, Sister McGuire said. 'You have to remember that some of these ladies don't walk well. They're in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts,'" Deborah Hastings, Columbus Dispatch. May 7: Editorial: At least court sees through voter ID laws DAYTON -- "The U.S. Supreme Court has discredited the new voter-identification laws, but has, nevertheless, blessed them as constitutional. These laws, passed in Ohio and elsewhere by Republican state legislators, require some sort of identification to be presented at the polling place. In the past, Ohio had settled for taking a voter's signature and comparing it to the one he or she gave when registering. The new laws can only guard against one kind of abuse: the impersonation of a specific registered voter. That's important to understand...The voter ID movement isn't about registrars or registration, and it isn't about illegal aliens. (If you were an illegal alien, would you try to vote?) As for the alleged problem the new laws are about, opponents have been saying all along that it doesn't exist," Dayton Daily News. Published Tuesday, May 6. TOLEDO -- Editorial: Solution without a problem, Toledo Blade. Published Monday, May 5. May 7: Audit: Election Day tally adds up CLEVELAND -- "A hand-count audit of a sample of presidential primary votes in Ohio's largest county matches the results delivered by a machine that scanned the same paper ballots, an official said. Pat McDonald, deputy director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said the audit reviewed 7 percent of ballots cast during the March 4 election, including 30,814 paper ballots from 99 precincts. They were hand-counted by Republicans and Democrats last week. The count was compared to a fresh scan of the same ballots and finished Friday. Yesterday, the county's staff was comparing the outcome to tallies arrived at on March 4," Associated Press, Toledo Blade. Article published Tuesday, May 6. May 6: Editorial: Keep law as it is New voting equipment for Ohio counties should have a federal seal of approval jCOLUMBUS -- "Perception and reality concerning Ohio's elections are starkly different. Since the overcrowded 2004 presidential vote, the perception held by some people is that voting in Ohio is either flawed or corrupt. The reality is quite the contrary, but the perception is why Ohio counties would be ill-advised to buy new voting equipment before it's federally certified. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the first Democrat in that office in 16 years, wants a change in law to allow purchasing equipment not yet certified by federal officials. Gov. Ted Strickland and the General Assembly should resist that," editorial, Columbus Dispatch. May 5: Dann draws more outrage Watchdog group voices ire over his use of a state plane; a state rep calls for a perjury inquiry COLUMBUS -- "At his press conference Friday, May 2, in which he admitted to an affair with a staffer and said he was unprepared for the office he was elected to, Attorney General Marc Dann promised to work tirelessly to repair the public's trust. But a short time after the press conference, he flew on the state plane to Cleveland to meet with the Plain Dealer to try to salvage his public image. 'He did what? It's just like he has one bad rookie mistake after another,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, a good government watchdog group. 'It's important to do your mea culpas but using the state resources to do them just backfires,'" Laura Bischoff and William Hershey, Dayton Daily News. Published May 4. May 5: Power lobbying no victory for utilities jCLEVELAND -- "'I don't blame the utilities and I don't blame the legislators because they need to get their own messages out at the end of the day,' said Catherine Turcer, campaign finance analyst for Ohio Citizen Action, a pro-consumer group that has often criticized FirstEnergy. 'It is an incredible amount of money, though, when you thinking about what the average Ohioan makes and the kind of day-to-day struggle many are having,'" John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Published May 1. May 5: Brunner seeks to speed up approval COLUMBUS -- "Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wants to eliminate a requirement that Ohio use only federally tested and approved voting systems, a move that would allow counties to buy new equipment certified only by the state as soon as the Nov. 4 election if they want. The state would do its own testing, paid for by voting-machine vendors, using federally certified labs and new state standards that will exceed federal guidelines for accuracy, security and reliability, Brunner said,'" Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch, Published May 3. May 5: High school seniors working as precinct officers Testimony in support of House Bill 350 COLUMBUS -- "Working at the polls allowed us to see what members of our community actually voted. We were extremely disheartened at the low turnout of young voters. All in all, we saw very few voters under the age of 22. We believe this low turnout is due to the incredibly busy schedule college and high school students maintain. Many times, high school students feel intimidated by the voting process including not knowing where to vote, how to register, or how to vote. If high school students are allowed to work at the polls, they will be experienced and feel less ignorant of the voting process. Allowing more young people to work at the polls will promote a better voter turnout for younger voters in future elections," Megan Adams and Katie Cole, Upper Arlington High School. 36 KB doc. House Bill 350, Ohio General Assembly. Testimony on House Bill 350, Jeff Cabot, Kids Voting Central Ohio. 54 KB doc. Testimony on House Bill 350, Matthew Damschroder, Deputy Director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. 27 KB doc. May 5: Young voters, new outlook An emerging generation is more politically connected than ever BLOOMINGTON, IN -- "Morley Winograd had never met Meera Joguni, but he described her well. 'If you were looking for a stereotypical millennial in Indiana, you'd probably want to interview a female college student who is nonwhite or at least has a mixed racial or ethnic background,' advised Winograd, co-author of the groundbreaking book, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, & the Future of American Politics. And, he continued, she would have at least one immigrant parent, be more liberal and tolerant than older generations, be very serious about working with others to solve problems, and be optimistic about the nation's future and her own. One more thing, Winograd said: You'd likely find her at a Sen. Barack Obama presidential campaign rally," Joe Hallett, Columbus Dispatch. Published May 4. May 2: Ohio Citizen Action comments on the proposed Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct: disqualifying judges for conflicts of interest COLUMBUS -- "At minimum, a rule should be established that triggers disqualification after receipt of a large aggregate contribution, not just from a single donor, but collectively from all donors associated with a party to litigation or with counsel. An example of aggregate contributions that could trigger disqualification would be contributions from corporate officers, management-level employees and law firm partners," Catherine Turcer, Director, Money in Politics Project, Ohio Citizen Action, letter to Judge Thomas Bryant, Chair, Task Force on the Code of Judicial Conduct, Supreme Court of Ohio, May 1, 2008, 30 KB doc. May 1: Redistricting bill "does not accomplish the goals that the sponsor established in his testimony: partisan balance and increased competition" COLUMBUS -- "One of the reasons that Issue 4 failed [in 2005] was that it was confusing and I appreciate SJR 6’s simplicity. However, it does not accomplish the goals that the sponsor established in his testimony: partisan balance and increased competition. With an odd number of commissioners, each with a partisan affiliation, the process is designed to allow one party a majority on the commission. Unfortunately, the five-vote supermajority does not completely mitigate this problem. If the Governor, the Secretary of State and the State Auditor were all members of the same party that party could control the redistricting process absolutely," Catherine Turcer, Director, Money in Politics Project, Ohio Citizen Action, testimony, Senate Joint Resolution 6, before the Ohio Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, April 30, 2008, 29 KB doc. COLUMBUS -- League of Women Voters Testimony, Senate Joint Resolution 6, Ohio Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, Ann Henkener, April 30, 2008, 56 KB doc. COLUMBUS -- Sponsor Testimony, Senate Joint Resolution 6, Ohio Senate State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, Senator Gary Cates (West Chester), April 15, 2008, 29 KB doc. COLUMBUS -- Ohio Senate Joint Resolution 6, full text. NEW YORK, NY -- Analysis of Ohio Redistricting Reform Proposals, Justin Levitt, Brennan Center for Justice, April 28, 2008, 70 KB pdf.   News archive 2008: Oct - Dec 2008: May - Sep 2008: Jan - Apr 2007: Jul - Dec 2007: Jan - Jun 2006: Jul - Dec 2006: Jan - Jun 2005: Jan - Jun 2005: Jul - Dec 2004: Jan-Jun 2004: Jul-Sep 2004: Oct-Dec 2003 2002: Jan-Jun 2002: Jul-Sep 2002: Oct-Dec 2001 Oct 1998 - 2000