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In Case You Missed It, a Cleveland.com analysis of the Ohio House budget outlines the ways in which Gov. Mike DeWine is losing his grip on power in Columbus as he continues to cede ground to an extreme group of Republicans in the legislature. As GOP factions deepen, DeWine is losing the ability to get anything done and becomes vulnerable to the same kind of messy primary Ohio is seeing play out in the Republican Senate primary.

“Before Ohio House Republicans put the final touches on their version of the state budget approved this week, they stripped out many of Gov. Mike DeWine’s top priorities. It was just the latest example of the legislature’s lack of deference to DeWine, who’s ostensibly the leader of the state party and heading into what could be a tough re-election campaign year in 2022,” writes Andrew Tobias of Cleveland.com.

In their budget, far-right House Republicans rejected a number of DeWine’s priorities, including even the most modest of gun violence prevention measures, and forced the administration to pay back fines issued to bars and restaurants who violated COVID-19 safety measures. This comes on the heels of statehouse Republicans overriding DeWine’s veto of legislation that limited the Governor’s power in a public health emergency.

And as the GOP continues to attack each other, Ohio voters are left out to dry as legislating and governing takes a backseat to political posturing.

Read more from Cleveland.com HERE and below:

• Before Ohio House Republicans put the final touches on their version of the state budget approved this week, they stripped out many of Gov. Mike DeWine’s top priorities.
• It was just the latest example of the legislature’s lack of deference to DeWine, who’s ostensibly the leader of the state party and heading into what could be a tough re-election campaign year in 2022.
• In a slap at the governor’s coronavirus safety orders, the House budget bill also would force the DeWine administration to refund fines issued against bars and other restaurants for COVID-19 safety violations, and also would reinstate liquor licenses for bars that lost them for the same reason.
• Besides rejecting DeWine’s priorities in the operating budget, they also removed a DeWine-backed proposal from the state transportation budget in March that would have strengthened penalties for people convicted of distracted driving. And weeks later, they took the extraordinary step of overriding a DeWine veto of a bill that limited the governor’s power to issue health orders.
• While DeWine didn’t ask for it, the operating budget bill includes a 2% income-tax cut that will cost the state $380 million over two years, while saving a taxpayer who makes a $60,000 salary only $29 a year.
• Republicans in general have tended to dismiss the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic or criticize the government response as overblown. At several campaign events for then-President Donald Trump last year, DeWine and his Lt. Gov. Jon Husted were criticized or booed when their names came up. DeWine has implored Ohioans to wear masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, but many lawmakers have refused to wear them.
• DeWine’s challenges with the legislature show no sign of easing up heading into the 2022 election campaign. From the right, former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, a possible Republican challenger, praised the legislature for taking DeWine’s gun reforms out.

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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party released the following statement in response to Census data released today that indicates Ohio’s electoral map will shift in coming elections, underscoring the need for redistricting in Ohio that reflects the will of Ohio voters.

“Today’s data only underscores the urgent need for updated electoral maps that allow Ohioans to choose their representatives and not the other way around. We know the electoral map in Ohio will look different in coming elections, now it’s incumbent on Ohio Republicans to stop playing politics with the process, listen to the will of Ohio voters and create fair maps,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democrats held a virtual press conference to speak out against regressive legislation being circulated by statehouse Republicans that makes it harder for Ohioans to vote and creates confusion for voters, taking major steps backward in the fight for voting rights in Ohio.

“Statehouse Republicans are creating an obstacle course for Ohioans to navigate, making it harder to exercise their right to vote. We should be removing barriers to the voting booth, not creating new ones,” said Senate Assistant Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood).

“It’s important to remember that this regressive legislation is only the latest in a series of efforts by Ohio Republicans to walk back voting rights in our state. While many voting rights advocates are rightly concerned about the legislation in Georgia — for the Ohio GOP, Georgia was simply a starting point,” said Representative Phil Robinson (D-Solon).

“If we’re serious about making our state more competitive and encouraging our young people to stay here, we should create laws that reflect the needs of our residents and make their lives easier. Instead, the Ohio GOP insists on introducing bills that continue to take Ohio backward and that attack Ohioans’ fundamental rights,” said Representative Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland).

“Democrats are committed to improving the voting system in Ohio and making our elections safe and accessible for Ohioans. In fact, we’ve introduced many bills to do just that. But these GOP proposals aren’t serious efforts to help Ohio voters, they’re extreme measures that only make it more difficult for Ohioans to have their voices heard. And we won’t sit quietly as Republican politicians attack the right to vote once again,” said Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo).

“We’re proud of the work we do to make voting easy for our residents and the resources we provide to help Ohioans cast their ballot. But proposals like this one from Columbus Republicans make it harder for local elections officials to do our job,” said Hamilton County Board of Elections Chair Gwen McFarlin.

The regressive GOP proposal currently being circulated would make it harder for Ohioans to vote by:

• Eliminating a day of early voting on the Monday before Election Day,
• Cutting off Ohioans’ ability to request an absentee ballot 10 days out from an election, removing a week that Ohioans were previously able to request an absentee ballot,
• Requiring two forms of ID for online absentee ballot requests,
• Prohibiting anyone but the Secretary of State from providing prepaid postage for absentee ballot request returns and providing no funding for the Secretary to be able to do so,
• Codifying Frank LaRose’s nonsensical limit of one dropbox location per county that can only be used in cases of emergency, but making a confusing exception to the rule 10 days out from an election, and
• Forcing Ohioans to opt-in to ‘automated’ voter registration through the BMV, meaning voter registration isn’t automated at all.

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Late yesterday, statehouse Republicans started circulating legislation that makes it harder for Ohioans to vote and creates confusion for voters, taking major steps backward in the fight for voting rights in Ohio.

“In a state that has set the bar for extreme anti-voter laws, this proposal actively takes steps to put Ohio further back in the fight for access to the voting booth. By limiting Ohioans’ ability to vote and by sowing confusion, statehouse Republicans are once again attacking the fundamental right to vote in this state. While Georgia’s voting bill has been panned nationwide, Ohio Republicans used that bill as a starting point and then proceeded to work backward from there,” said Chair Walters.

Read more coverage about the bill below:

Cincinnati.com:

• Proposed changes to Ohio election law would eliminate voting on the day before Election Day, limit drop boxes and allow voters to request absentee ballots online.
• The changes, which will soon be introduced as a bill by Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Green Township, and Rep. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, would eliminate in-person voting on the Monday before Election Day so county election officials could prepare for Tuesday.
• Another change would require Ohioans to request mail-in ballots 10 days before an election rather than three days before an election.
• The proposed bill language wasn’t yet available Thursday, but voter advocates have initial concerns about tinkering with the absentee ballot process.
• The Ohio Democratic Party issued a statement slamming the bill, saying changes such as eliminating a day of early voting or reducing the time to request an absentee ballot would make it harder for Ohioans to vote.

Cleveland.com: 

• A new Republican-backed Ohio elections bill would set limits on the drop boxes in which voters can leave completed absentee ballots, including making them available for 20 fewer days compared to the November election, while also eliminating early, in-person voting on the Monday before Election Day.
• Other provisions including moving the deadline to apply for a mail ballot to 10 days before the election, instead of the Saturday before the election, as under existing law.
• Requesting an absentee ballot online, a longtime priority LaRose, would require voters to provide both a driver’s license or state ID number and the last four digits of their Social Security number.
• In a statement, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters unfavorably compared the new bill to the controversial recent elections law passed in Georgia.
• An earlier version of Seitz’s bill leaked last week, drawing widespread condemnation from Democrats after a progressive group published it on Twitter, describing it as a “draconian” “voter suppression” bill. The draft bill was similar to the version described in Thursday’s memo, although the older version would have effectively banned ballot drop boxes by making them only available during declared emergencies, while requiring two forms of ID to vote early in person.
• Fears from Democrats and voting-rights advocates are high after Republican state lawmakers in other key swing states, including Michigan and Georgia, have proposed or passed numerous new restrictions on voting this year, justifying them with former President Donald Trump’s bogus claims of widespread voter fraud during last year’s presidential election.

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Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters released the following statement on radical anti-voter legislation being circulated by statehouse Republicans that makes it harder for Ohioans to vote and creates confusion for voters, taking major steps backward in the fight for voting rights in Ohio.

“In a state that has set the bar for extreme anti-voter laws, this proposal actively takes steps to put Ohio further back in the fight for access to the voting booth. By limiting Ohioans’ ability to vote and by sowing confusion, statehouse Republicans are once again attacking the fundamental right to vote in this state. While Georgia’s voting bill has been panned nationwide, Ohio Republicans used that bill as a starting point and then proceeded to work backward from there,” said Chair Walters.

The circulated proposal would make it harder for Ohioans to vote by:

• Requiring two forms of ID for online absentee ballot requests,
• Eliminating a day of early voting on the Monday before Election Day,
• Cutting off Ohioans’ ability to request an absentee ballot 10 days out from an election, removing a week that Ohioans were previously able to request an absentee ballot, and
• Prohibiting local government offices from providing postage for voters to mail back absentee ballots. The proposal puts that power solely with the Secretary of State but provides no funding for the Secretary to be able to do so.

The proposal would create confusion for voters by:

• Codifying Frank LaRose’s nonsensical limit of one dropbox per county that can only be used in cases of emergency, but making a confusing exception to the rule 10 days out from an election, and
• Forcing Ohioans to opt-in to ‘automated’ voter registration, meaning voter registration isn’t automated at all.

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