Ohio Newsbreak - End of the Week

Strickland, Stivers, Kilroy, Keno, Provisional Ballots, Unemployment, and more …

• Bill readied to prevent ‘Joe the Plumber’ snoops - Dayton Daily News
• Election results pointing to new religious coalition - Toledo Blade
• Strickland prods Congress for help - Toledo Blade
• Next casino effort will be multi-city - The Plain Dealer
• Brunner orders statewide election audit - Associated Press
• Chunk of Strickland’s Year Spent on Elections - Columbus Dispatch
• 27,000 ballots on hold - Columbus Dispatch
• Stivers leading Kilroy by less than 400 votes (Friday) - Associated Press

• Provisional ballot use increasing - Columbus Dispatch
• Lottery vendor not disclosed at Keno hearing - Associated Press
• Unemployment fund likely broke by end of year - Columbus Dispatch
• Cafaro to lead Ohio Senate Dems - The Plain Dealer
• Batchelder will lead Ohio House Republicans - Columbus Dispatch
• More workers accused of politicking on state time - Columbus Dispatch
• No state records show database checks before ‘Joe’ - Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Agency Director Put on Leave & Other News from the Buckeye State

Helen Jones-Kelley Coverage

• Emails get state leader in trouble – Columbus Dispatch
• Jones-Kelley on paid leave pending investigation - The Plain Dealer
• Stivers event among topics of emails under investigation - Dayton Daily News
• Governor places family services director on leave – Dayton Daily News
• Agency chief put on leave -Toledo Blade
  

Politics & Elections News

• GOP’s grip on County’s suburbs slipping – Columbus Dispatch
• Editorial: GOP must make honest appraisal of its defeat – The Plain Dealer
• Obama’s victory in Cuyahoga was overwhelming – The Plain Dealer
• Obama won – so did shirt sellers – Columbus Dispatch
• Maureen O’Connor’s huge totals may lead to something else – The Plain Dealer
• Brunner calls summit on vote –Columbus Dispatch
• Ohio GOP to work on ‘identity crisis’ – Columbus Dispatch
• Dolan out of Minority Leader race – The Plain Dealer
• The new Ohio Senate and House – Columbus Dispatch
• Timing of Cordray’s start as AG uncertain – Columbus Dispatch
• Total state approach aided Obama – Columbus Dispatch
• No Treasurer replacement yet – The Plain Dealer
• Editorial: House Democrats in charge – Akron Beacon Journal

Other News

• Jobless rate highest in 14 years – Columbus Dispatch
• Hard recovery seen for Ohio – Associated Press
• Wilmington worried about pending DHL announcement – Dayton Daily News
• Glowing review earns Gee possibly $2 million – Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Election Wrap: Day After Clips from Ohio’s Newspapers

Presidential Coverage

• Obama Sweeps to victory as first black president
  – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Obama, American voters make history
  – The Plain Dealer
  
• Win restores blacks’ faith
  – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Analysis: How Obama Won Ohio
  – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Impressive showing but no Ohio turnout record
  – The Plain Dealer
  
• Editorial: Obama presidency is break from the past
  – Canton Repository
  
• Editorial: President Obama is change to cheer
  – Dayton Daily News
  
• Editorial: Making History
  – Akron Beacon Journal
  
• Voters rejoice at Obama’s election – Cincinnati Enquirer
  

• Obama wins Ohio, Michigan – Presidency in Landslide
  – Toledo Blade
  
• ‘Joe the Plumber’ will take his politics online
  – Toledo Blade
  
• Editorial: The View Forward
  – Toledo Blade
  
• Editorial: Now time to unite behind message of hope
  – The Plain Dealer
  
• Editorial: Not the day to be cynical
  – Dayton Daily News
  
• Editorial: Election brings change to America
  – Cincinnati Enquirer
  
• Election Problems? Not in Ohio
  – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Day smoother than expected despite some glitches
  – Columbus Dispatch
  

Ohio Candidates and Issues

• Dems wrest back control of Ohio House
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Stivers, Kilroy winner likely not know for 10 days
  - Columbus Dispatch
• Boccieri to replace Regula
  – Canton Repository
• Driehaus ousts Chabot
  – Cincinnati Enquirer
• Democrats reclaim Ohio House
  – Associated Press
• Cordray rolls to big win
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Editorial:
  Payday Lenders Lose Big in Ohio – The Plain Dealer
• Montgomery County results still being counted – Dayton Daily News
• Boehner will seek return to House leadership
  – The Plain Dealer
• Dems expand majorities in Congress but Ohio races up for grabs
  – The Plain Dealer
• Husted winning State Senate seat
  – Dayton Daily News
• Dems close to regaining control of Ohio House
  – The Plain Dealer
• Fudge, LaTourette, Kucinich win – The Plain Dealer
• Casino, Payday Lenders denied
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Voters choose no on casino – The Plain Dealer
• Payday lenders defeated at polls
  – The Plain Dealer
• Ohio defeats gambling, keeps lending limits – Associated Press
• Paper ballots hold up counts in Ohio counties
  – Associated Press
• Editorial: Ohioans wisely say no to casino
  – Canton Repository

Ohio Election Update – 11 p.m. – Election Day

Obama Wins Ohio

• Obama wins Ohio, takes big electoral lead – Associated Press
• Cordray wins AG Race – Associated Press
  
• Judge grants Brunner’s request to consolidate cases – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Celebrations begin among NE Ohio Dems – The Plain Dealer
  
• Age a bigger concern than race - The Plain Dealer
  
• Montgomery County coming in faster than expected – Dayton Daily News
  
• Reports: Ohio Casino Issue Failing – Dayton Daily News
  
• Ohio GOP Chairman congratulates Obama ‘president-elect’ – Dayton Daily News
  
• Brunner calls it a smooth election – Dayton Daily News
  
• Cordray promises “culture of respect” – Toledo Blade
  
• Boards of Elections set to deal with provisional ballots as polls close – Toledo Blade
  
• Exit Polls: Moderates, Women help Obama win Ohio – Associated Press

Ohio Election News – 4:30 p.m. – Election Day

4:30 p.m.

Marion County ballot handling raises concern – Columbus Dispatch

Ohio reports heavy turnout; some confusion over provisional ballots – Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Republican Party questions OSU students’ intentions
–Columbus Dispatch

Ready for prime time
– Columbus Dispatch

Calm before evening storm?
– Columbus Dispatch

Official thinks rush is over
– Dayton Daily News

Warren County elections website down, expects to be back up tonight
– Dayton Daily News

Ohio: big lines but no big problems
– Associated Press

Longest waits in Lucas County – Toledo Blade

Secy of State: Last voter rush expected – WHIO

Heavy early voting may lead to record turnout
– Cincinnati Enquirer

Ohio GOP presents more complaints about Brunner – Wall Street Journal

Ohio Election Update – 2:30 p.m. – Election Day

2:30 p.m.

So Far So Good, Except in Montgomery County (Dayton)

• Ringing off the hook – Columbus Dispatch
• Long lines but few problems mark day so far – Toledo Blade
• Fairfield County paper ballots being handled as provisional
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Elections chief reports no major problems in morning voting
  – The Plain Dealer
• Reports from NE Ohio bloggers – The Plain Dealer
• Things good so far with double bubble caveat – Blogger Interrupted
• Will Montgomery County (Dayton) take until tomorrow to report? – Buckeye State Blog
• Paper ballots could delay results until Wednesday – Dayton Daily News
• Miami County GOP files complaint
  – Dayton Daily News
• Some malfunctioning voter machines reported
  – Dayton Daily News
• Average voter waits less than one hour statewide
  – Cincinnati Enquirer
• Election Day a test for Ohio’s Secy of State – Associated Press
• Area Polls bustling from outset – Akron Beacon Journal
• Toledo police set with riot gear in case of election problems – Toledo Blade

Ohio Politics and Elections Coverage: Five Days to Election Day

Recent Coverage by the Columbus Dispatch

• Clinton boosts Obama with Ohio appearances
  
• Obama dips but still has comfortable lead
  
• Down in polls, McCain tells Ohio crowd he’s coming back

• Feds won’t make Brunner reveal voter mismatches
• Schwarzenegger says McCain in uphill battle
• Palin revs up Chillicothe
• Local pastors emphasize duty to vote
• Agency head defends ‘Joe’ searches
  

Recent Coverage by Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Day of the Plumber
  
• FAQ on Casino question
  
• ‘Joe the Plumber’ joins McCain roadshow in Sandusky
  
• Secy State cancels cross-checking of Ohio’s voters
  
• McCain in Defiance, Ohio reverts to name calling
  

Recent Coverage by Toledo Blade

• McCain tells Defiance crowd he’ll cut taxes
  
• Rush Limbaugh blasts Kaptur
  
• Palin joins ‘Joe’ in Bowling Green
  
• Ohio elections chief: Scrap voter database
  

Recent Coverage by Dayton Daily News

• Ben Stiller ‘Rocks the Vote’ at UD
• Judge to rule Friday on Ohio man’s attempt to kick Obama off Ohio ballot
• Payday Lending pays over $3 million for signatures
• Joe the Plumber hires Nashville publicity team

Ohio Sunday Papers October 26 – Politics, Elections

Politics & Elections News

• Endorsement: Obama better choice to lead U.S. – Youngstown Vindicator
• Ohio Dems outspend Republicans in Ohio House races – The Plain Dealer
• $1 million bail set in Brunner death threat – Columbus Dispatch
• Is Ohio doomed to elections battles?
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Ballot dispute history
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Changes proposed to state’s constitution – Toledo Blade
• Obama, McCain must commit to job creation in NE Ohio
  – The Plain Dealer
• War fades as voters’ central issue
  – Dayton Daily News
• Op-Ed, Thomas Suddes: Handicapping the next Ohio House
  – The Plain Dealer
• Strickland stumps for Ohio House race – Cincinnati Enquirer
• Op-Ed, Dennis Willard – Bigotry, hate polarizing Americans
  - Akron Beacon-Journal
• Op-Ed, Jonathan Riskind: Big victory could could quell cries of election fraud – Columbus Dispatch
• Op-Ed, Joe Frolik: Obama is battered but not bruised – The Plain Dealer
• Op-Ed, Joe Hallett: McCain’s gamble on Palin looking like iffy bet in Ohio – Columbus Dispatch
• Op-Ed, David Skolnick: Republicans brace for political thrashing – Youngstown Vindicator
• Campaigns plan presence at polls
  – Columbus Dispatch
• McCain slams Ohio snooping on ‘Joe’ – Columbus Dispatch
• It only feels like candidates visit daily
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Odds against no tax casinos
  – Columbus Dispatch
• D.C. Dispatches
  – Columbus Dispatches
• Voters weigh limits for payday lenders – Toledo Blade
• Endorsement: Vote to keep curbs on payday lenders – Columbus Dispatch
• Endorsement: McCain for President – Warren Tribune-Chronicle

 

Other News

• Op-Ed, Mike Curtin: Ohio leads in state government fiscal restraint – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Ohio leads service effort
  – Columbus Dispatch
  
• Toledo Mayor proposes 3-day government shutdown
  – Toledo Blade

Husted’s Residency Fraud Could Remove Him From the Ticket

… Might Jennifer Brunner Get to Cast the Deciding Vote?

This article from the Dayton Daily News which ran nearly a week ago may have started a chain of events that could end with a delicious ironic twist for Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Put simply, because it looks like Husted lives in Columbus with his family, the Montgomery County Board of Elections would vote on whether or not Husted is a valid, registered voter of Montgomery County. According to the DDN:

The deadline has passed to challenge a person’s place on the ballot. However, the board can question the validity of a person’s registration, said Steve Harsman, board of elections director.

Ohio law on residency for voting purposes says a person’s residence is the “place where the family of a married person resides.”

A legislator may be forced to forfeit his seat if he is not a legal resident of the district he represents.

Inevitably, the board would tie in any such vote. Who gets to break the tie? Brunner.

Why is this ironic? Ohio is getting attention this presidential election year for all the usual reasons: Ohio has voted for every winning presidential candidate every cycle save two for the past century, the race here is still tight, and the 2004 presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry came down to Ohio early in the morning on the first Wednesday in that November.

Ohio is getting even more attention this election year because of the smoke screen the Ohio Republican Party has been laying all over our election process. Bogus court case after bogus court case has come and gone, attacking our Secretary of State for implementing election laws passed by a Republican legislature. They’ve even been embarrassed by the Supreme Court of the United States. Along with the legal challenges has come a low to mid-grade domestic terror campaign which has included cyber attacks and death threats against Brunner and her office. This is fueled by the Republican slime machine here and nationally.

What political insiders in Columbus know is that the campaign against Brunner isn’t about fighting Barack Obama’s Ohio GOTV juggernaut. What we’ve been witnessing is the preparation of the 2010 election battleground. It’s a campaign with Jon Husted at the heart of it all. Husted, knowing he doesn’t have a chance in hell of competing with Governor Ted Strickland in 2010 has his sights set on the Secretary of State’s office. The SoS will hold a seat on the apportionment board, another plum for career politician Husted.

Remember what a nightmare Republican Ken Blackwell was as Secretary of State? That’s how they want to paint Brunner. The problem is where Blackwell disgraced the office with naked partisanship, mismanagement, and by proving to all of us he’s just not that bright – Brunner has cultivated an image as a thoughtful public servant who respects the office. If she’s not Blackwell, the Republican thinking goes, let’s raise so much hell in the election system during this super-charged presidential cycle and leave the impression that Brunner’s bollocksed it all up.

Currently things stand with the Montgomery County Board of Elections attorney conducting a review of residency laws.
The Board is considering a full investigation of Husted which could end in the aforementioned vote.

I hope Brunner gets her chance to have the last laugh in the saga of Slick Jonny.

Republican Domestic Terrorism Against Ohio Secy of State

I knew it was bad when last week someone sent Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner a package in the mail containing an unidentified powder with the words scrawled on the packaging: “Death to Obama Supporters.” Due to state security protocols and observant mailroom staff and the Ohio Highway Patrol, the package never got close to Brunner. In fact, the nutjob who sent it mailed it to the wrong building, albeit a state building.

This evening Gongwer News Service is reporting that the Secretary of State’s website has been locked down so that officials can determine if the site’s security has been breached. Brunner’s office also issued a short press release saying that phone lines and email of SoS staff have been barraged with threatening messages.

Looks like the Republicans want to turn the whole country into South Carolina circa 2000 when Karl Rove’s trashiest political tricks were on display. Whisper campaigns about Obama haven’t worked. Now they’re escalating to direct threats and scare tactics. Wonder how this display will play for independents?

How about Dewine, Bennett, et al. calling on their supporters to chill.  Come on Bob and Kevin, this is your base!  You can control ‘em.

Ohio GOP Loses Supreme Court Battle

News Roundup

• SCOTUS: Justices rule against Ohio GOP - New York Times
• Ohio Democrats Win at Top U.S. Court - Bloomberg
• High court rejects GOP bid - Associated Press
• U.S. Supreme Court backs Brunner - Columbus Dispatch

Ohio Sunday Papers | October 12, 2008

Politics & Elections News

 

• Endorsement: Forward with Obama – Toledo Blade
• Endorsement?: 2 Good men, Obama right man for today – Dayton Daily News
• What’s the real story: Terrorists - Columbus Dispatch
• Only 39% of Ohio voters approve of bailout
  – Dayton Daily News
• Obama, McCain in dead heat in new state poll
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Ohio Poll Raw Data
  – Dayton Daily News
• Democrats set sights on Ohio House takeover
  – Toledo Blade
• Op-Ed, Thomas Suddes: Ohio’s numbers crunching Obama’s way – The Plain Dealer
• Editorial: Provoking Doubt – Ohio Secy of State
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Op-Ed, Jonathan Riskind: Boilerplate conservative issues not saving McCain – Columbus Dispatch
• Cuyahoga County investigates voter registration fraud
  – The Plain Dealer
• FDR’s economic fairness initiative resonates today
  – Toledo Blade
• ‘Smear for smear’ in presidential race – Dayton Daily News
• Region’s wallets open to GOP
  – Cincinnati Enquirer

 

Other News

• Online overdose – Columbus Dispatch
• Small town pharmacist caught up in scheme
  – Columbus Dispatch
• Bailout boss got start at Case Western Reserve Academy
  – The Plain Dealer

Ohio News Check – Saturday – Strickland Democrats’ Radio Response

Politics and Elections

• Strickland slams McCain’s economic policies – Bloomberg
• Dems radio address bashes McCain – Associated Press
• Ballots with missing check marks to be counted – The Plain Dealer
• Ohio early voting survives court challenge – Associated Press

• Analysis says Ohio casino figures vague – Associated Press
• State Analysis says Issue 6 language vague – Columbus Dispatch
• Hamburgers, soap can offer political lessons – Associated Press
• Op-Ed, Joe Frolik: GOP’s downs and ups – The Plain Dealer
• Cordray has cash lead in AG’s race – Columbus Dispatch
• Marc Dann: Threats forced use of campaign cash – Columbus Dispatch
• Mediation in AG Harassment case loses steam – Columbus Dispatch

Other News

• Ohio minimum wage to rise in 2009 – Toledo Blade
• Regional indicators point to slow Cleveland recovery – The Plain Dealer

Ohio News Roundup – October 1: Obama leading, McCain Complaining, Payday lenders, Brunner, Bailout, Sherrod Brown, Voinovich, Gov Approval Rating, Strickland establishes economic growth group