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Columbus, OH – In the past month, new reporting has revealed additional details about the “at least 50 times” Bernie Moreno has been sued as his campaign is “clouded” by a “slew of lawsuits for workers’ wages and workplace discrimination.”

Let’s Rewind:

On September 3rd, reporting from WKYC revealed Bernie Moreno has been sued “at least 50 times,” which is “much more than” what Moreno has falsely claimed on the campaign trail.

On September 4th, new reporting from Spectrum News revealed “previously unreported court records” that show Bernie Moreno destroyed even more evidence than originally known to get out of paying his employees the overtime they had earned, including “daily schedules.” When asked why he destroyed evidence and stole wages, Moreno echoed lies that multiple fact-checks have already debunked as “false.”

WATCH MORE FROM SPECTRUM NEWS HERE

On September 20th, new reporting from Mother Jones revealed Bernie Moreno “refused to pay” an Ohio contractor over $300,000 and “forc[ed] the construction firm to file a legal claim” to make Moreno pay them what they were owed.

Bottom line: Bernie Moreno’s record of “refus[ing] to pay” what he owed, “stiffing workers,” and even deliberately shredding evidence to get out of paying his employees makes it clear that he only looks out for himself.

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Today, the Ohio Democratic Party and Ohio voters are filing a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of  Ohio to protect the legal right of all Ohioans’ to return their ballots at drop boxes.  

The lawsuit is in response to an illegal directive issued by Secretary of State Frank LaRose that would ban the use of drop boxes by individuals returning a ballot on behalf of an immediate family member or a disabled voter – violating Ohio statute, the Ohio Constitution, and the federal Voting Rights Act. 

Ohio law allows any absentee voter to return their ballot at their county dropbox and allows a voter’s immediate family member to return their ballot on their behalf. The federal Voting Rights Act also protects the right of Disabled voters to use an assistant to return their absentee ballot. 

“Frank LaRose’s illegal attempt to deprive Ohioans of their right to return their ballot at a drop box with assistance is in violation of both Ohio and federal law. The Ohio Democratic Party alongside Ohioans impacted by LaRose’s illegal directive are taking every action necessary to protect the constitutional right of every Ohioan to participate in our democracy,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters. 

Key points from the lawsuit: 

• “Pursuant to statute duly adopted by the General Assembly, Ohio has long allowed authorized family members to return an absent voter’s ballot to the county board of elections office on their behalf. See R.C. 3509.05(C)(1). Ohio law has never required such family members to complete any form of attestation before delivering the ballot.”

• “Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act provides: ‘Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter’s union.’” 

• [LaRose’s] “Directive violates the Ohio Constitution by depriving voters with disabilities and voters who rely on a designated family member to return their ballots for them via drop box of equal protection of the laws, because it has created a situation where Ohio’s boards of elections will permit certain voters to vote by delivering their ballot via drop box while prohibiting others from doing so.”
  
• [LaRose’s] “Directive violates Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act because it prevents voters with disabilities from receiving assistance from “a person of the voter’s choice.”
  
• “In response to a federal court simply ordering him to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act’s protections for voters with disabilities, Secretary LaRose has taken it upon himself to instead attempt to rewrite the statute governing return of absentee ballots.” 

Full filing can be found here: https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/pdf_viewer/pdf_viewer.aspx?pdf=970694.pdf&subdirectory=2024-1361\DocketItems&source=DL_Clerk

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Columbus, OH-  In case you missed it, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost led a group of Republican attorneys general in arguing that action taken by the Federal Trade Commission to block mergers that would harm Ohioans was unconstitutional. And reporting from the Ohio Capital Journal showed that Yost’s arguments track closely with a proposal in Donald Trump and JD Vance’s extreme Project 2025.

While Ohio’s working families struggle to make ends meet after decades of failed Republican policies, Yost would rather prioritize corporate special interests instead of fighting for economic justice for all Ohioans. When Ohioans are stuck paying more for their groceries, they should bill Yost for the difference.

And Yost’s letter takes a page directly out of Project 2025, which is a clear and present danger to workers in Ohio and across the country. Project 2025 would allow employers to not pay overtime, weaken child labor protections, undermine the right for workers to organize, and make it easier for employers to discriminate. 

“Yost’s endorsement of Donald Trump’s extreme Project 2025 agenda paints a picture of an AG who is beholden to corporate special interests while harboring a dangerous, anti-worker agenda,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “It’s clear where he stands- and it’s not with Ohio’s workers.”

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Columbus, OH-  Ohio Senator and vice presidential nominee JD Vance has been all over the country this year as he hits the campaign trail. But even before he became Trump’s running mate, the one place that he’s been rarely seen is his home state of Ohio. Instead, he spent his time traveling around the country in pursuit of more political power

That’s why as Ohioans all over the state prepare to cast their ballots this November, they’ll be asking the question: what have you done for us? And nowhere is that more true than in Appalachia, where residents are still waiting for the help that Vance promised after he put them in the national spotlight with his 2016 book.

Ohioans are wondering what Vance has been doing to make their lives better during his 18 months in the United States Senate. But they’ve watched him follow Donald Trump around in service of his own ambitions while working Ohioans fall behind.

And that’s why Ohio voters are also asking: if you haven’t kept your promises to voters in your home state, why should we give you a promotion?

“During Vance’s short time in the Senate, he’s done nothing but parade around with the same special interests that he derided on the campaign trail,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans deserve answers, but it’s far more likely they’ll get more extreme lies and conspiracies.”

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Columbus, OH – On the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act’s Patient’s Bill of Rights going into effect, which guaranteed individuals with pre-existing conditions could no longer be denied coverage, Ohioans are being reminded that Moreno would vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and put nearly 2 million Ohioans with pre-existing conditions at risk of losing access to healthcare and facing higher costs.

What Ohioans Need To Know About Moreno’s Plans To Put Ohioans’ Healthcare In Jeopardy:

• Moreno would vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, putting 857,000 Ohioans at risk of losing their healthcare coverage and facing higher costs, and jeopardizing care for nearly 2 million Ohioans with a pre-existing condition.

• Moreno would also vote to overturn the cap on insulin costs for seniors and Medicare drug price negotiations that lower Ohioans’ prescription drug prices, which would raise Ohioans’ healthcare costs.

• Ohioans know that Moreno would “strip health care access” away from Ohioans and that he “opposed the bill that has lowered prescription drug prices for Ohioans” because he sides with special interests, not Ohioans.

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