Buckeye Reporter

On Memorial Day, citizens were urged to advocate for a "clean" bill to place President Biden on the ballot. Despite over 1,000 individuals taking action, Ohio's gerrymandered Statehouse did not heed these calls.

During a Special Session convened by Governor Mike DeWine, the state legislature passed a bill to include Biden on the November ballot. This measure was deemed unnecessary as the national Democratic party had already addressed the issue. Additionally, a bill prohibiting foreign money in ballot campaigns was passed, despite existing restrictions enforced by the Ohio Elections Commission.

Public testimony opportunities were limited during this session. Majority legislators reportedly paid little attention to presented testimonies. Notably, written testimony supporting House Bill 1 (HB1) was submitted by one of Larry Householder’s lawyers.

House Bill 1 addresses foreign money in elections but does not enhance transparency or improve funding disclosure for political advertisements. The bill expands the definition of foreign nationals beyond federal guidelines to include Green card holders, potentially affecting membership organizations involved in ballot campaigns. It also grants significant investigative and prosecutorial power to the Attorney General, raising concerns about potential political misuse. The legislation was rapidly negotiated and passed with unclear future implications.

House Bill 2 aimed at securing Biden's place on the ballot but proved unnecessary and failed to offer a permanent solution for future presidential candidates facing similar issues.

Overall, this special session has been criticized for failing to address corruption prevention, disproportionately empowering partisan actors, hindering ballot campaigns, and lacking permanent improvements for candidate ballot inclusion processes.

Advocates argue it is time to end gerrymandering and establish a Statehouse that serves public interests through initiatives like creating a citizens redistricting commission.