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Columbus, OH – Ohio Republicans are having a bad week with their blatant political games  on full display. After eliminating August special elections only months ago, GOP politicians ranging from Frank LaRose to Matt Huffman are now pushing for a $20 million taxpayer-funded special election in August so that they can effectively kill citizen-led ballot initiatives in Ohio. And they’re rightfully being called out for it. 

“Ohio Republicans know they’re on the wrong side of the issues voters care about which is why politicians like Frank LaRose and Matt Huffman are playing political games at taxpayers’ expense to rig the rules in their favor. Ohio voters don’t get to play by a different set of rules when things don’t go their way – neither should their politicians,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

See what Ohio voters are reading about Ohio Republicans’ hypocritical power grab: 

Columbus Dispatch: Editorial: Terrified Ohio lawmakers ready to slap voters in the face to stop abortion vote

• A word sums up an effort led by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Senate President Matt Huffman, State Rep. Brian Stewart and others to steal a power Ohioans have enjoyed since 1912: undemocratic.
• It is amazing that some Republicans in the Statehouse would push so hard to change how the state amends the constitution by forcing a vote during a low-turnout August election months after the same lawmakers voted that such elections should be limited. This entire effort slaps voters in the face and betrays our democracy.
• It is particularly despicable and disappointing that LaRose, the officer charged with ensuring fair Ohio elections, pretends placing such a measure on an August ballot would be just.
• LaRose, Huffman and the rest want to stack the deck against Ohio voters. The basic rules of engagement shouldn’t be changed just because they fit one political agenda or another. That’s not democracy.

WVXU: Commentary: How determined is the Ohio GOP to stop abortion? Let me count the ways…

Howard Wilkinson

• Still, some Republicans in the Ohio Statehouse find themselves so desperate to control every aspect of peoples’ lives in this state that they will break their own rules to achieve it.
• It would be a Hail Mary attempt to convince whatever microscopic portion of Ohio’s electorate who would break away from their swimming pools and golf courses to vote in August that they should approve an unnecessary and undemocratic constitutional amendment.
• Aconstitutional amendment in which Ohio voters would, in effect, be saying to Huffman — please, sir, we’d like you to take away part of the power of our votes.
• Republican Frank LaRose, Ohio’s secretary of state and chief elections officer, used to agree with Stephens on the uselessness of August elections.
• But, on Tuesday, he said he had changed his mind.
• Did we mention that this “special election” to serve the political purposes of Huffman and his Statehouse crew would cost the taxpayers $20 million?

WEWS-TV: Special interest groups seek to protect constitution from special interest groups, special interest groups say

Morgan Trau

• The supporters of the resolution say the current system is easily influenced by special interest groups and outside organizations, but so far, critics argue that only special interest groups – some not even from Ohio – are pushing for the legislation.
• “They’re redistricting reformers or they’re folks that are worried about reproductive rights,” Turcer said. “They are folks who live in Ohio and want to have a good life in Ohio that want to change the Ohio Constitution.”
• She says Ohio already has guard rails against people meddling in the constitution, and there are rarely any citizen-led amendments because of how difficult it is to meet all the requirements.
• “The only people who are concerned about changing the Ohio Constitution are special interests themselves and the state legislature who want to take power away from voters by diluting their ability to change the Ohio Constitution,” she added.

Statehouse News Bureau: After supporting the elimination of August elections, Ohio’s Secretary of State now says sometimes they’re ok

• In testimony on House Bill 458 in December, LaRose wrote about some August 2020 special elections with what he called “embarrassingly low turnout” of 11.8% and 6.8%.
• “That means just a handful of voters end up making big decisions. The side that wins is often the one that has a vested interest in the passage of the issue up for consideration. This isn’t how democracy is supposed to work.”
• But if Republican lawmakers approve Senate Bill 92, reviving the August special election to vote on the requirement of 60% voter approval for constitutional amendments proposed by state lawmakers, LaRose said he’s ok with that.
• “As a course of action, normal course of doing business, yes, I do not believe in having elections in August as a normal way of holding elections. But if the state legislature decides to hold an election in August, it’s not unusual,” LaRose said.
• In fact, it is unusual. There have been only two August statewide votes regarding the constitution, one to approve an entirely new constitution in 1874, and one for an amendment in 1926. Both were overwhelmingly rejected.

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Columbus, OH – In case you missed it, Haley BeMiller of the Columbus Dispatch reported today that Frank LaRose is now all in for a $20 million taxpayer-funded special election after – a year ago – calling August special elections “unnecessary,” and saying they “aren’t good for taxpayers, election officials, voters or the civic health of our state.” 

Frank’s latest cave comes as Statehouse GOP leaders are pulling all the political levers they have in order to effectively kill citizen-led ballot initiatives in Ohio. LaRose, the “front man” for the anti-voter initiative who spoke out against special elections in August just last year, has now suddenly changed his tune to cater to his own political ambitions.  

“Frank LaRose is once again making clear that the only thing he cares about is advancing his political career. Frank’s latest craven political stunt would cost Ohioans more than $20 million, and we’ll continue to remind voters who to blame when the bill comes due,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Testifying about August special elections in 2020, LaRose pointed to low turnout in counties around the state and said: “That means just a handful of voters end up making big decisions. The side that wins is often the one that has a vested interest in the passage of the issue up for consideration. This isn’t how democracy is supposed to work.”

Read more from the Columbus Dispatch here and below: 

• Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday defended a potential August election for the effort to make it harder to amend the state constitution − just months after advocating to limit those elections.
• House and Senate Republicans have introduced resolutions to require 60% of voters to enact constitutional amendments, instead of a simple majority. Three-fifths of both chambers need to approve the question to place it on the ballot, giving voters the final say in whether the rules should change.
• Senate GOP leaders want voters to make that decision on Aug. 8 to get ahead of a possible November ballot question on abortion access. But the state Legislature, with LaRose’s support, passed a new law last year to eliminate most August elections due to low turnout and cost.
• LaRose’s comments came ahead of two committee hearings on the Senate resolution scheduled for this week. Republicans advocating for the August ballot are on a tight timeline: The measure must clear both the House and Senate by May 10, and lawmakers won’t meet during first two weeks of April.
• Under Ohio’s new election law, local governments and school districts can hold August elections only if they’re under a fiscal emergency. LaRose told lawmakers last year that very few voters participate, citing a Hamilton County special election in 2020 that generated 11.8% turnout.

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Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose, who once called August special elections “unnecessary,” and said they “aren’t good for taxpayers, election officials, voters or the civic health of our state,” is now dodging questions on the political maneuvering by his fellow Republicans in the statehouse. 

Statehouse GOP leaders are pulling all the political levers they have in order to effectively kill citizen-led ballot initiatives in Ohio, including by holding an August special election they once opposed. LaRose, the “front man” for the anti-voter initiative who spoke out against special elections in August just last year, is suddenly at a loss for words when it comes to opposing an August election to roll back the rights of Ohio voters. 

“When the going gets tough, Frank LaRose goes silent. LaRose – Ohio’s top elections official – can’t hide behind his spokesman’s non-answer as statehouse Republicans try to manipulate Ohio’s election schedule to take voters’ power away from them. Frank is a profile in cowardice and should give Ohioans a straight answer on whether he supports or opposes an August special election,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Testifying about August special elections in 2020, LaRose pointed to low turnout in counties around the state and said: “That means just a handful of voters end up making big decisions. The side that wins is often the one that has a vested interest in the passage of the issue up for consideration. This isn’t how democracy is supposed to work.”

Three years late, see LaRose dodge, dive, dip and duck any questions on the proposed August special election below:

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Columbus, OH – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement in response to the verdict in the FirstEnergy bribery scandal. 

“For too long, Republican politicians and their wealthy, well-connected friends have gotten away with screwing over working Ohioans and then making those same working Ohioans foot the bill for GOP misdeeds. Today, Ohioans on the jury made clear: no one is above the law. 

“But this scandal doesn’t stop with Larry Householder or Matt Borges. This scandal runs deep within the Ohio Republican Party, and every GOP politician who enabled it to happen or stood by complicity must be held accountable. And that’s what we plan to do.” 

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Columbus, OH – Today, the Cleveland.com editorial board pulled no punches, saying Joe Deters was a ‘mistaken choice’ for the Ohio Supreme Court. The editorial board pointed out that Deters has ‘zero judicial experience,’ that Deters enjoys a close, personal relationship with the Republican who appointed him and that there are ‘many conflicts and questions about Deters’ qualifications and past service.’ 

“In light of the many conflicts and questions about Deters’ qualifications and past service, the answer is clear: DeWine should not have named Joe Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court,” writes the Cleveland.com editorial board. 

“The political gamesmanship surrounding Joe Deters appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court is disgusting. Voters deserve answers from Deters, and better yet, deserve a Justice that is focused on fairness and the rule of law, not political backscratching,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

The Cleveland.com editorial follows a story from Cincinnati.com last week that highlighted his lack of experience and the politics behind the decision. One constitutional law expert in the story even remarked: “Of course, there’s politics going on here.”

Read more from Cleveland.com HERE and below: 

• In late December, DeWine named someone to the job with zero judicial experience — longtime Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.
• Equally troubling are the apparent “you-scratch-my-back, I’ll-scratch-yours” ties between Deters and Pat DeWine.
• The Cincinnati Enquirer recently highlighted two key ones: In 2017, Justice DeWine asked Deters to give the justice’s son a paid six-week internship. Deters did. And in 2018, Justice DeWine asked Deters to give his senior staff attorney, Mary Stier, a job as an assistant prosecuting attorney handling appellate work. Deters did so in 2019, shortly before Justice DeWine’s wife filed for divorce, alleging adultery. Stier and Justice DeWine are now in an acknowledged relationship, the Enquirer reports.
• The 2004 scandals that caused Deters to step down from the state treasurer’s office also raise red flags. The scandals, which also featured pay-to-play influence-peddling allegations, also involved Matt Borges, now on trial in Cincinnati on House Bill 6 influence-peddling and corruption charges.
• So why did Gov. DeWine name Joe Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court? Maybe the question should be: Should DeWine have done so?
• In light of the many conflicts and questions about Deters’ qualifications and past service, the answer is clear: DeWine should not have named Joe Deters to the Ohio Supreme Court.

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