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CBS News on Ohio Bill: “Seems Like Fixing a Problem That Doesn’t Exist, Doesn’t it?”

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Columbus, OH — This week, Ohio Republicans introduced radical anti-voter legislation that attacks Ohioans’ right to vote and goes even further than the widely-panned Georgia and Florida bills in rolling back voter rights.

GOP politicians in Columbus like to claim their bill is about protecting the integrity of Ohio’s elections, but if that were true, why would they stand idly by as their fellow Republicans make false statements that directly attack our election process? The answer: because this bill has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with election integrity.

If Republicans want to instill confidence in Ohio’s election system, they can start by condemning the elected officials and candidates in their own party making false claims about the 2020 election. Then, they can throw their bill in the trash and start all over, working with Democrats and voting rights activists on legislation that will increase voting access, protect voting rights and move our state forward.

Below is just a sampling of all of the false claims from Republican politicians in Ohio about the 2020 election that show just how unconcerned they are with election integrity:

“I think when we look back on this election, we’ll see in large part that it was stolen from President Trump,” said U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel.

“There’s no question and it’s been widely reported that there was widespread fraud and voter irregularities across this country. We need to fight for election integrity. If we don’t have faith in our election system, we don’t have a democracy,” said U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken in an interview.

“I don’t know how you can ever convince me that President Trump didn’t actually win this thing based on all the things you see,” said Rep. Jim Jordan.

“In the 2020 election, several states intentionally dismantled election safeguards, while others hastily enacted new mail-in voting systems with lax protections. These laws and actions undermined Americans trust that their vote counted,” wrote Rep. Warren Davidson before voting against certifying the election results.

“Where do I stand on this? I do believe that there was fraud and irregularities in a number of states,” wrote Rep. Steve Chabot in a blog post before voting against certifying the election results.

“I believe fraudulent actions and illegal voting in one state dilutes the power and voice of voters in all states. I do not believe the allegations of fraud and improprieties have gotten their day in court, as many cases were dismissed on procedural grounds, often times citing lack of standing,” said U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs.

“The Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media hide behind bullying, spin, and carefully crafted talking points to distract from this fact. But most of the people I represent know the truth – that between the news media acting as the public relations department of the Democrat party, Big Tech’s big thumb on the social media and search results scales, and credible allegations of election fraud in some states, many believe the 2020 election wasn’t fair,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Johson.

“We have seen irregularities in the vote count, unexplained statistical anomalies, as well as grave allegations of irregularities and misconduct in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania … as legislators answerable to our constituents, we are concerned that Ohio voters are being disenfranchised as well,” wrote 40 Ohio House Republicans in a letter to Attorney General Yost calling on him to join a legal effort to overturn the results of the election.

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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio and U.S. unemployment rates continue to drop as the American Rescue Plan is working, putting our state back on the road to recovery and helping Ohioans build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. As Fox 8 Cleveland reports: “More Americans are looking for work and more employers are hiring them.”

As the American Rescue Plan helps Ohioans and gains more popularity, Republican politicians are scrambling to figure out how they can play politics with COVID relief. Rob Portman pulled a Rob Portman yesterday and tried to claim credit for the highly-popular American Rescue Plan he opposed. As sad as that is, it’s even sadder to know that the Republicans running to replace him are doubling down in their criticism of the plan that has helped millions of Ohioans get vaccinated, put more money in the pockets of working Ohioans and is helping Ohio small businesses reopen and hire workers.

“Democrats across Ohio are working overtime to get critical COVID relief to Ohioans who need it, while Republican politicians are busy only looking out for themselves. Ohio voters deserve answers. Why are these candidates opposed to the successful rescue plan and why are they playing politics with Ohio’s recovery?” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Ohio Republican candidates have been outspoken in their opposition to the American Rescue Plan, which enjoys wide, bipartisan support across the state. Jane Timken publicly stated she would have voted against the measure and has said about the bill, “we have to stand up and fight against this,” while Josh Mandel attacked provisions in the bill that would protect pensions for thousands of Ohio retirees and workers.

Meanwhile, these political attacks stand in stark contrast to the financial reality of the American Rescue Plan for Ohioans, as Fox 8 reports: “Economic growth has accelerated, sales of vehicles and newly built homes have soared, manufacturing output has risen and Americans on average have increased their savings and wealth.”

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Columbus, OH — Today, statehouse Republicans formally introduced their regressive, anti-voter legislation that goes even further than the widely-panned voter suppression measures in Georgia and Florida. Despite numerous concerns from Ohio voting rights activists, Republicans in Columbus are moving ahead with measures that attack Ohioans’ right to vote and confuse voters at the polls.

While bills in Georgia and Florida are rightly criticized for their extreme anti-voter provisions, Ohio’s version of the bill is the most extreme yet. Many of the provisions included in Georgia’s election law are already law here in Ohio, while Florida’s new law still allows the use of dropboxes throughout the early voting period and allows for multiple locations. The new Ohio bill would codify Frank LaRose’s nonsensical limit of one dropbox location per county and limit the time during which voters can use dropboxes to 10 days before an election.

“When it comes to anti-voter legislation, Ohio Republicans have set a new standard. Instead of working to improve the process, GOP politicians in Columbus are ignoring concerns from voting rights experts and plowing ahead with the most regressive measures we’ve seen yet. This bill has nothing to do with modernization, it only serves to take Ohio further back in the fight for voting rights in our state,” said Liz Walters, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.

The regressive GOP legislation 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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Columbus, OH — As Ohioans are focused on putting food on the table and making ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Republicans are laser focused on one issue above all else — censuring fellow Republican Anthony Gonzalez. If that’s the issue Republicans are running with, then Ohioans at least deserve to know: where does Mike DeWine stand on censure?

As the top Republican elected official in the state, DeWine has a responsibility to let the voters know where he stands on the issue that’s dominating his party right now.

“As Mike DeWine finds himself in the middle of a Republican meltdown, Ohio has watched DeWine continually cave to the extreme members of his own party in order to maintain his tenuous grip on power. Facing his biggest test yet, DeWine must decide which side he’s choosing in the ongoing split among the Ohio GOP,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

While DeWine previously stood with Gonzalez, now he’s facing attacks from within his own party and the prospect of a messy primary challenge. Will DeWine risk a deeper divide between himself and the rest of his party by standing with Gonzalez? Or will he pull a Jane Timken and throw Gonzalez under the bus to save his own skin?

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Millionaire Jane Timken’s fiscal priorities apparently don’t align with Ohio workers, as she calls President Biden’s popular infrastructure proposal ‘radical spending’ and ‘the absolute wrong policy,’ criticism that flies in the face of a majority of voters who support the plan. The reason the plan is so popular is because it actually addresses the needs of Ohioans by repairing Ohio’s roads and bridges, expanding broadband and creating jobs for Ohio workers. And President Biden is paying for it by holding companies who ship jobs overseas accountable and finally making them pay their fair share, companies whose CEOs Timken is likely palling around with at RNC fundraisers for big-dollar donors.

While Jane Timken invests millions of dollars of personal wealth into her campaign to advance her own political interests, she considers any investment in Ohio workers ‘radical spending,’ showing just how out of touch Timken really is with the needs of working Ohioans.

“For years, Ohio has watched its roads crumble and jobs leave the state under Republican rule, and apparently that’s the campaign platform Jane Timken is choosing to run on. While Democrats are working to fix the state’s infrastructure and put Ohioans back to work, millionaire Jane Timken is standing strong against any plan that invests in working families and forces her wealthy CEO friends to pay their fair share,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Timken’s criticism of the American Jobs Plan follows her equally confusing criticism of the American Rescue Plan, which has helped millions of Ohioans get vaccinated, put money in the pockets of Ohio workers and help small businesses around the state reopen. Timken went so far as to tell extremist Steve Bannon, ‘we must stand up and fight against’ the American Rescue Plan. Meanwhile, the Rescue Plan continues to enjoy wide bipartisan support across the state.

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