Congratulations to Grace Cherrington, the newly elected Licking County Democratic Party Chair
Ed FitzGerald Kicks Off His Bid For Governor
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald kicked off his long-planned campaign for governor Wednesday — another step in the Democrat’s fast-moving political career.
For FitzGerald, the former mayor of Lakewood, the choice was between challenging incumbent Republican John Kasich or seeking a second term as the top elected leader of a reshaped county government still in its early stages.
Given the months FitzGerald already has spent networking with party activists in parts of the Ohio where he is far less known, there was no suspense when he formalized his decision in a speech at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Cleveland.
To read the entire article go to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Electors prepare for their big vote
Getting to hear Lilly Ledbetter, the inspiration for the national fair pay act, speak at the state’s Democratic convention was a thrill for Grace Cherrington.
Little did she know it would pale in comparison to the real surprise of the day for the semi-retired finance worker from Pataskala.
Cherrington, 66, was selected by her peers to represent Ohio’s 12th Congressional District in this year’s Electoral Collge.
Members of the college meet today across the nation to cast ballots, a process some view as an anachronism but excites participants regardless.
“This is quite the treat,” Cherrington said. “It’s an honor.”
To read the entire article go to the Newark Advocate.
Guthrie named to U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board
NEWARK — President Barack Obama has announced he plans to appoint Newark City Councilman Marc Guthrie, D-at-large, to serve on the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board.
Guthrie’s pending appointment was announced in a press release from the White House press secretary’s office.
“As a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, I am very honored to have the opportunity to be appointed by President Obama to this federal board,” Guthrie wrote in an email.
Guthrie, 60, director of Development and Advocacy for the American Council of the Blind of Ohio, previously served on the Access Board from 1996 to 2005 after President Bill Clinton appointed him.
To read the entire article go to The Newark Adovcate.
Friends and Foes of Issue 2 Square Off in Columbus Debate
The complicated language in Issue 2 takes the authority to draw maps for Congressional and Statehouse districts out of the hands of lawmakers and the state apportionment board, and gives it to a 12 member commission of citizens who aren’t politicians or lobbyists. Former Congressman Zack Space from Dover in eastern Ohio said it’s about time people who aren’t politicians had a role in the process that determines who will represent them.
“The notion that citizens are somehow involved in the redistricting process as it now exists is utterly laughable. The process – and believe me, I’m not faulting the Republican Party, because frankly if the Democrats had control, they’d have done the same thing – but the process now is a back room process with no transparency and no accountability.”
To read more and to hear a portion of the debate go to WVIZ.
DIRECTIVE 2012-50
Below is the Directive issued by SOS Jon Husted about the last three days of voting:
DIRECTIVE 2012-50
October 16, 2012
To: All County Boards of Elections
Directors, Deputy Directors, and Board Members
Re: Uniform Days and Hours for In-Person Absentee Voting from November 3, 2012 through November 5, 2012
I hereby set uniform days and hours for in-person absentee voting, for UOCAVA and non-UOCAVA voters alike, as follows:
Saturday, November 3, 2012 – 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 4, 2012 – 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday, November 5, 2012 – 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This Directive expands the uniform days and hours for in-person absentee voting established by Directive 2012-35, which remains in effect. As such, Boards are reminded that any voter in line when that day’s hours for in-person absentee voting ends, may remain in line to apply for and receive an absentee ballot in person.
If you have any questions regarding this Directive, please contact the Secretary of State’s elections attorney assigned to your county by calling (614) 466-2585.
Sincerely,
Jon Husted
Ohio rebuffed on early voting (FINAL UPDATE)
Posted Tue, October 16th, 2012 12:27 pm
(Final update, 1:26 pm. Note that the Ohio secretary of state has issued a directive to implement weekend voting. Thanks to Rick Hasen of Election Law Blog for the link.)
Without noted dissent, the Supreme Court at midday Tuesday turned aside a plea by state officials in Ohio to allow them to close down voting opportunities on the final three days before election day on November 6. The ruling was a significant victory for President Obama and for Democrats, especially since they claimed that the shuttering of voting offices on the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before election day would be likely to affect low-income and minority voters — many of whom may be expected to vote Democratic.
The Court acted in a one-sentence order that contained no explanation. The action, though, left intact a lower-court order that required voting officials in the crucial electoral state to open the polls on that final weekend to all voters, if they open them to any voters. Ohio officials wanted to allow voting then only by members of the military and their families, on the theory that they might be called away suddenly on military duty. While it is up to each county’s election officials to decide whether to be open for voting on those days, many if not most — and, crucially, major cities — are expected to do so rather than shut out military voters altogether. Under the lower-court order, all voters must be treated the same for early voting.
To read more go to SCOTUSblog.
Voting three days before election reinstated but not required
By Jim Siegel
The Columbus DispatchFriday October 5, 2012 4:21 PM
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today sided with the Obama campaign and Ohio Democrats in reinstating in-person early voting on the final three days before Election Day. However, the court is not requiring that the polls be open on those days, but rather leaves the decision up to individual county elections boards. “The state has proposed no interest which would justify reducing the opportunity to vote by a considerable segment of the voting population,” the appellate judges said. “The public interest…favors permitting as many qualified voters to vote as possible.” Without the courts’ intervention, “all non-military Ohio voters would be irreparably injured.”
To read the entire article go to The Columbus Dispatch.
Romney’s Sick Joke
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: October 4, 2012
Was Mr. Romney lying? Well, either that or he was making what amounts to a sick joke. Either way, his attempt to deceive voters on this issue was the biggest of many misleading and/or dishonest claims he made over the course of that hour and a half. Yes, President Obama did a notably bad job of responding. But I’ll leave the theater criticism to others and talk instead about the issue that should be at the heart of this election.
So, about that sick joke: What Mr. Romney actually proposes is that Americans with pre-existing conditions who already have health coverage be allowed to keep that coverage even if they lose their job — as long as they keep paying the premiums. As it happens, this is already the law of the land. But it’s not what anyone in real life means by having a health plan that covers pre-existing conditions, because it applies only to those who manage to land a job with health insurance in the first place (and are able to maintain their payments despite losing that job). Did I mention that the number of jobs that come with health insurance has been steadily declining over the past decade?
To read the entire Op-Ed go to The New York Times.