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☆ Biden spikes the football after Ohio voters kill an effort to stymie abortion rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Voters in the state swiftly rejected a GOP-led effort to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments. While not explicitly about abortion, Republicans made clear that they wanted to short-circuit a proposed abortion rights amendment. If it had passed, abortion rights advocates would have needed to reach 60% this November to pass a proposed amendment guaranteeing basic rights through fetal viability or roughly 22 weeks of pregnancy. Now, the proposed amendment will just need a simple majority. Biden's statement makes it clear that the White House is closely tracking state efforts to both expand and curtail abortion rights.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Ohioans resoundingly, Ohioans, Frank LaRose Organizations: Voters, GOP, Service, Republican, White Locations: Ohio, Wall, Silicon, Arizona

☆ 4 Takeaways From Ohio’s Vote on Abortion and Democratic Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Maggie Astor | More About Maggie Astor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Abortion rights is a turnout engine …If anyone doubted the message that voters have been sending in election after election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, Ohioans underscored it once more on Tuesday: Voters are highly motivated by abortion. They have repeatedly supported abortion rights even in red states, and have turned out to say so even on typically low-turnout primary dates. That was clear in Kansas a year ago, when voters in a highly Republican state overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed legislators to ban abortion. It was clear in November, when abortion-related questions were on the ballot in five states with different political leanings, and all five states voted in favor of abortion rights. It was clear this April, when a majority of voters in closely divided Wisconsin elected a liberal Supreme Court justice who had run on her support for abortion rights.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Donald J, Trump Locations: Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio

☆ The GOP awakened a broad coalition to turn out to vote against their referendum designed to hinder abortion. It could be a massive problem for the party for a long time.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ohioians issued a resounding rejection of a GOP-led gambit to stymie abortion rights. It also seems pretty clear that more than a year removed from Roe's reversal, Americans remain animated about the future of abortion rights. Just under 642,000 Ohioans voted early, smashing turnout in recent elections, The Columbus Dispatch reported. In comparison, 263,000 Ohioans voted early last May in races that featured contested US Senate and gubernatorial races. The early turnout for Tuesday's special election is more than four times the amount of early votes that were cast in statehouse primary races last year.

Persons: Ohioians, Frank LaRose, Tim Ryan, Sen, JD Vance, Jason Stephens, Dave Wasserman, Vance, It's, it's what's Organizations: GOP, Republicans, Service, Republican, Ohio Dems, Ohio Democratic Party, Twitter, Cincinnati —, Ohio State University, The New York Times, Democrat, Ohio Capital, Ohio Republicans, Columbus Dispatch, Ohio GOP Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, Franklin County, Franklin, Delaware County, Ashtabula County, Kansas, Arizona

☆ GOP attempt to stymie abortion in Ohio backfires spectacularly
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ohio is much redder now, but Tuesday's results in an early face-off over abortion rights illustrate a much more troubling bellwether for the GOP. Ohioans did not explicitly vote on abortion rights on Tuesday. Specifically, conservatives wanted to deal a potentially lethal blow to an abortion rights amendment before voters even consider it this November. The Ohio results illustrate that more than a year later, Americans remain animated over the Supreme Court gutting abortion rights. Abortion rights activists have been left to fight a bevy of court battles with limited successes in often heavily conservative courts.

Persons: Ohioans, they've, Roe, ender, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Voters, GOP, Service, White House, Columbus Dispatch, Democratic Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ohio, White House . Ohio, Kansas , Kentucky, Montana, Michigan . Ohio, Florida, Arizona

☆ Abortion rights keep winning on the ballot in conservative states — Florida and Arizona could be next
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ohio voters have rejected a proposal that would've made it more difficult for voters to amend the state constitution, including one measure set for the November ballot that would guarantee abortion rights in the state. For the third time in a year, voters in a conservative state have shot down an attempt by Republicans to make constitutional changes that target abortion. As of Wednesday afternoon, the people of Ohio had rejected Issue 1 by a 14-point margin. Less than two months after the fall of Roe, voters in the Sunflower State rejected an amendment that would have stripped state constitutional protections for abortion by an 18-point margin. And the following November, voters in deeply conservative Kentucky narrowly rejected a state constitutional amendment that said there is no right to an abortion in the Bluegrass State.

Persons: Ohioans, resoundingly, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Joe Biden's, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Roe Organizations: Columbus Fire Fighters, Buckeye State, Republicans, Ohio, State's, NBC, Republican, Sunflower State, Bluegrass State Locations: Columbus , Ohio, Ohio, Buckeye, Kansas, Sunflower, Kentucky

☆ Ohio Issue 1 results: Voters reject effort that would make it harder to amend state constitution, CNN projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ohio voters rejected Tuesday an effort to raise the threshold to amend the state’s constitution ahead of a November referendum on whether to constitutionally guarantee abortion rights there, handing abortion rights advocates a critical victory. The measure was a GOP-led effort targeting an upcoming November referendum in which voters will decide whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Already, voters in two deep-red states, Kansas and Kentucky, have rejected efforts to limit abortion rights (though abortion is still banned in Kentucky). The Democratic push to enshrine abortion rights in Michigan’s constitution played a key role in the party’s victories there in the 2022 midterm elections. Among his Republican challengers is Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state’s elections chief and the highest-profile proponent of Issue 1.

Persons: Ohioans, ”, Dennis Willard, Marcela Azevedo, we’ve, ” Azevedo, Roe, Wade, Joe Biden, ’, “ Ohioans, Mike DeWine, ” DeWine, John Kasich, Bob Taft, Kasich, “ I’ve, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown, Frank LaRose, LaRose Organizations: CNN, Ohio, GOP, Ohioans United, Reproductive Rights, Democratic, Ohio Republican, Republicans, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Buckeye Firearms Association, Twitter, Protect, Senate, Republican Locations: Ohio, Columbus, “ Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio Chamber of Commerce , Ohio, Protect Women Ohio

☆ Ohio voters reject ballot measure in win for abortion rights advocates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The results in the special election were a crucial victory for abortion rights advocates, who would have faced the daunting prospect of securing a super-majority of voters this fall if the measure had passed. Ballot initiatives have become powerful tools for abortion rights activists in states where abortion opponents, usually Republicans, control the legislature or hold the governor's office. On Tuesday, abortion rights groups in Arizona, a key presidential swing state, launched an effort to put the issue before voters in November 2024. Abortion rights opponents have called the November referendum extreme, claiming its vague language would allow minors to get abortions and gender-affirming surgery without parental consent. Other groups supporting Tuesday's referendum collected funds from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and The Concord Fund, a conservative dark-money group.

Persons: Read, Ohioans, Joe Biden, Mike DeWine, Jen Miller, Richard Uihlein, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Joseph Ax, Dan Whitcomb, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Republican, Associated Press, U.S, Supreme, Republican Ohio, League of Women Voters, Ohio Republicans, Illinois Republican, America, The, Fund, Tides Foundation, Thomson Locations: Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Illinois, California, Lincoln

☆ Ohio voters flock to the polls with abortion rights at stake in GOP-backed rules change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A sign asking Ohioans to vote in support of Issue 1 sits above another sign advocating against abortion rights at an event hosted by Created Equal on Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Republican-backed proposal, known as Issue 1, would raise the minimum threshold of votes needed to amend the state constitution by popular referendum, from a simply majority up to 60% of ballots cast. Early voter turnout has been high, which is unusual for special elections and likely reflects intense voter interest in abortion rights issues. A poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University in July found that 58% of Ohioans support the amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Ohioans' support for abortion is just shy of the 60% that would be needed if Tuesday's ballot initiative passes.

Persons: Ohioans Organizations: Republican, Associated Press, AP, Voters, Buckeye State, USA, Suffolk University Locations: Cincinnati , Ohio, Ohio, Buckeye

☆ Ohio special election could determine future of abortion rights in the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

If it passes, a super-majority of voters would be required to approve a November referendum that seeks to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution. Political groups on both sides of the abortion issue have poured millions of dollars into the state ahead of the vote. Ballot initiatives have become powerful tools for abortion rights activists in states where abortion opponents, usually Republicans, control the legislature or hold the governor's office. Voters in Kansas and Kentucky, both solidly conservative states, rejected measures last year that would have declared that their state constitutions do not protect abortion rights. Abortion rights opponents have called the November referendum extreme, claiming its vague language would allow minors to get abortions and gender-affirming surgery without parental consent.

Persons: Wade, Megan Jelinger, Mike DeWine, Jen Miller, Richard Uihlein, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Joseph Ax, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: United States Supreme, Women's Health Organization, REUTERS, Republican, U.S, Supreme, League of Women Voters, Ohio Republicans, Illinois Republican, America, The, Fund, Tides Foundation, Thomson Locations: Ohio, Columbus , Ohio, Dobbs, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, California

☆ Ohio Issue 1 Election Results: Amendment Approval Threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Ohioans are voting on a measure where a “yes” will raise the threshold required to pass any ballot measure amending the state’s Constitution to 60 percent, from a simple majority. The measure, sponsored by Republican leaders in the legislature, is meant to make it harder for voters to pass a November ballot measure that would establish a constitutional right to abortion.

Organizations: Republican

☆ Abortion Drives Ohio Election on Amending the State Constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Michael Wines | More About Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

John Kasich of Ohio, a Republican, wrote on Twitter in April that he had watched voters reject policies that he and his legislative majority had backed. “It wouldn’t have been right then, and it isn’t right now.”Once, Ohio was the quintessential swing state. The 2022 election brought single-party control of the governor’s office and legislature to 39 states, the most in at least three decades. And 29 states, 20 of them Republican, have veto-proof supermajorities that control both houses of the state legislatures. “We can kind of do what we want,” Matt Huffman, the powerful Ohio State Senate president, told the Columbus Dispatch in a 2022 profile.

Persons: John Kasich of, ”, Matt Huffman, — Organizations: Gov, Republican, Twitter, Ohio State, Columbus Dispatch, Alabama Legislature, U.S, Supreme Locations: John Kasich of Ohio, Ohio

☆ Ohio Republicans wanted to kneecap abortion activists before November. It may backfire on them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ohio Republicans want to make it harder to amend their state's constitution. Ohio Republicans who pushed the measure argued that a higher threshold was needed to keep future amendments focused only on what Ohioians want. Ohio Republicans previously banned most August elections. The GOP presidential primary race has split over candidates who back a bare-minimum nationwide abortion ban and those who do not. Polling shows that a nationwide ban is broadly unpopular, but the nomination contest provides the perfect time for anti-abortion activists to pressure candidates on the issue.

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Vance, Frank LaRose, Brian Stewart, It's, Richard Uihlein, Uihlein, WOSU, Mike DeWine, Roe, Wade, Jackson, haven't, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Service, Republicans, Republican, Ohio Republicans, Columbus Dispatch, GOP, Ohio Capital, Ohio Gov, Florida Gov Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ohio, Illinois, An Ohio, Dobbs v, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohioans

The new campaign by the group working to pass the August measure, called Protect Women Ohio, includes a $4.5 million expenditure on two new 30-second television ads, as well as $1 million on statewide radio and digital ads. The ads continue a strategy by the group to tie the Aug. 8 measure, as well as a November ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, to parental rights restrictions. Protect Women Ohio’s ads and statements also argue that the presence of ACLU of Ohio in the pro-amendment coalition is evidence of a push beyond abortion rights. The group has also, so far, committed $25 million for ads to oppose the November ballot measure. If voters pass the threshold measure in August, then the proposed abortion rights amendment in November would need 60% support from voters to pass.

Persons: ”, Hunter, ” Hunter, Vivina Napier, you’ll, ” Napier Organizations: Protect, NBC News, Reproductive, Ohio Constitution Locations: Ohio, Women Ohio

☆ Ohio voters appear primed to back abortion rights measure, the latest sign of the post-Roe fury
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ohio voters appear primed to pass an abortion rights constitutional amendment. According to a new poll, 58% of likely Ohio voters would vote in favor of the amendment. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose must declare by tomorrow whether the abortion rights measure has enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. As Insider previously reported, abortion rights measures could prove to deliver major political benefits to Democrats. During the 2022 midterms, abortion rights groups passed every state measure they sought and also beat back efforts to restrict abortion access.

Persons: Roe, Frank LaRose, Mike DeWine, Ohioans, Wade Organizations: Service, USA, Suffolk University, GOP, Republican Gov, Republican, National Conference of State Legislatures, The, The Mississippi Supreme, Voters Locations: Ohio, Wall, Silicon, The Mississippi

☆ Ohio Moves Closer to Ballot Issue That Would Protect Abortion Rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Kate Zernike | More About Kate Zernike | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights said on Wednesday that it had collected roughly 710,000 signatures across all of the state’s 88 counties over the last 12 weeks. Under state law, the coalition needed 413,466 to qualify for the ballot. Supporters of abortion rights are turning to ballot measures in the aftermath of the ruling last year by the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which for 50 years had guaranteed a right to abortion in the federal Constitution. They are betting on polls showing that public opinion increasingly supports some right to abortion, and opposes the bans and stricter laws that conservative state legislatures have enacted since the court’s decision. Voters in six states, including conservative ones such as Kentucky and Kansas, voted to protect or establish a right to abortion in their constitutions in last year’s elections, and abortion rights advocates in about 10 other states are considering similar plans.

Persons: Ohio, Roe, Wade Organizations: Ohioans United, Reproductive Rights, United States Locations: state’s, Kentucky, Kansas

☆ This safety net for the elderly and disabled comes with strict rules on savings. That may change
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Today, those thresholds are just one-sixth of their 1972 value, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes, and their worth declines further each year with inflation. How SSI's asset limits may be raisedIn new research, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities considers the effects of raising or eliminating the asset limits SSI has for beneficiaries. That $100,000 threshold would be in line with the amount eligible SSI beneficiaries are currently allowed to hold penalty-free in ABLE accounts, tax advantaged savings programs for people with disabilities. Another change — excluding the consideration of retirement accounts — could also help bolster SSI program eligibility. Eliminating the asset test entirely would raise participation in the program by 6%, the nonpartisan research and policy institute found.

Persons: Tom Grill, Kathleen Romig, Romig, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman, Portman, Brown, —, Kristen Dama Organizations: Center, Budget, Finance, GOP, Social Security, Sherrod Brown Democratic, Democrat, Republican, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Social Security Administration Locations: Ohio, Dama

☆ Why Blackouts, Power Outages Are Becoming More Common
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Taylor Dorrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Power outages have increased 64% from the early 2000s, and weather-related outages — many driven by the worsening climate crisis — have increased 78%. A record-breaking blizzard in Buffalo, New York, this winter caused power outages throughout the city, resulting in the deaths of 47 residents. In 2021, a heat wave led to power outages and the deaths of hundreds in the Pacific Northwest. While regional organizations might use fees to penalize companies for power outages, it's now much harder to pinpoint and hold a person or entity responsible. In the meantime, the climate crisis will continue to wreak havoc on an aging grid system that puts profits over reliability.

Ohio sued rail company Norfolk Southern over the derailment of a train carrying toxic materials in the town of East Palestine last month, the state's attorney general announced Tuesday. The state is seeking damages, civil penalties and a "declaratory judgement that Norfolk Southern is responsible," he said. "This derailment was entirely avoidable," Yost said, adding that Norfolk Southern has seen an 80% increase in accidents over the past decade. According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the derailment is one of a "long string" of Norfolk Southern derailments and hazmat incidents. Since 2015, at least 20 Norfolk Southern derailments involved chemical discharge, the state claims.

REUTERS/Gaelen MorseCompanies Norfolk Southern Corp FollowMarch 14 (Reuters) - The state of Ohio sued Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) Tuesday over the Feb. 3 derailment of a freight train that released over a million gallons of hazardous materials and pollutants into the environment around the town of East Palestine. Since the Ohio derailment caused cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals to spill and catch fire, Norfolk Southern has been under pressure over a number of train derailments. Last week, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw was sharply questioned at a U.S. Senate hearing and will appear at another March 22 rail safety Senate hearing. Those suits claim Norfolk Southern was negligent and has created a nuisance for residents, among other claims for liability. Last week, Norfolk Southern agreed to create a new first responders training center and expand a training program in Ohio.

☆ Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who'll likely face a tough reelection fight in 2024, says he won't 'run from Biden': 'I run my own race, and my own brand'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Sherrod Brown told Politico he was "fine" with Biden running on the same ballot as him in 2024. Brown is seeking a fourth term in the Senate and has carved out a unique appeal among Ohio voters. And despite President Joe Biden's eight-point statewide loss to former President Donald Trump in 2020, Brown told Politico he was "fine" running alongside the president on the same ballot should the commander-in-chief seek reelection next year. So, I'm not going to run from Biden," Brown told Politico. In the 2018 Senate race, when Brown defeated then-GOP Rep. Jim Renacci, the senator won 98% of Democrats, 56% of Independents, and 11% of Republicans, per CNN exit polling.

☆ Abortion could be a general election trap as Republicans battle for the GOP presidential nomination, with polling for the party's position in the basement
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Anti-abortion views could be a major boost in the nomination fightMajorities of most religious groups favor abortions being legal in most or all cases. Only four major religious groups had a majority of followers that did not favor abortion legality. Politico reported that Trump's team thinks it has a way to emphasize Trump's role in the historic decision without getting bogged down by unpopular abortion views. PRRI's polling found that 66% of Ohioans, 64% of Floridians, and 54% of Nebraskans favor making abortion legal in most or all cases. The nation has slowly moved toward supporting making abortion legal in some or most cases.

☆ Ohio Abortion-Rights Coalition Begins Push for Constitutional Amendment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An effort to place a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on the ballot is brewing in Ohio. Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights filed paperwork with the state’s attorney general Tuesday in one of its first steps to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

Meanwhile, abortion-rights advocates and the ballot initiative groups they’re working with said preliminary efforts are also underway in Florida, Missouri and other states. Meanwhile, voters in two Democratic states, California and Vermont, chose to officially protect abortion rights in their constitutions. “Reproductive rights is a winning issue. The Dobbs decision had a huge impact,” said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works with progressive organizations to help advance citizen-led ballot measures. “And what we know — that about a majority of Americans actually support reproductive rights and abortion access — means we have an incredible opportunity.”

☆ GOP-controlled Ohio Legislature passes election bill to require photo ID at the polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Mike DeWine a GOP-backed bill Thursday that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls and allow fewer days to request absentee ballots or vote early in person. The measure, which would replace a state law that lets voters present other documents on Election Day, such as utility bills or bank statements, was passed by the House in a 55-32 vote. The bill would also eliminate in-person early voting on the eve of Election Day and trim the amount of time voters can request and submit absentee ballots. State Rep. Richard Brown, a Democrat, said the bill headed to DeWine's desk had “many troublesome provisions,” taking particular issue with the removal of early-in person voting on the day before Election Day. Months later, Texas adopted a sweeping election law that added a new ID requirement for absentee voters and banned drive-thru and overnight early voting.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican J.D. And in interviews with NBC News after campaign events here Saturday, Vance and Ryan both spoke as if victory was within reach. And Trump endorsed Vance in a crowded GOP primary, seeming to relish the thought of elevating a high-profile convert. Vance, he joked at a September rally in Youngstown, is now “kissing my a--.”“The Trump tough guy stuff and J.D. The problems that the Republican Party needs to respond to are different.

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