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The ballot board once again approves language for voters to read the results in a lawsuit, and the major party conventions brought some excitement and memorable moments, but also help form messaging strategy for the next two months.

We'll talk about that this weekend.

The state of Ohio Welcome to the state of Ohio.

I'm Karen Kasler.

Last week ended with the Ohio Ballot Board approving language that voters will read as a summary on the November ballot about the amendment to change the redistricting process.

By Monday, a lawsuit was filed over that language.

The ballot boards not weigh in on the merits of issues, but was created to develop summaries so voters don't have to read entire amendments when casting ballots.

But this is the third time in a year the ballot board has been sued over wording written by Republican Secretary of State Frank Larose, who chairs the panel.

Citizens, not politicians, wants to create a 15 member commission of an equal number of Republicans, Democrats and independents.

With no elected officials, lobbyists or other politicians permitted to draw lawmakers district maps.

It would replace the Ohio Redistricting Commission.

A panel of seven elected officials that approved maps all ruled unconstitutional, gerrymandered by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Citizens, not politicians, said in its lawsuit that the language approved by the ballot board's three Republicans is not factual.

Is Partizan misleading and therefore unconstitutional?

The approved summary is three pages long and begins by titling the amendment to quote to create an appointed redistricting commission, not elected by or subject to removal by the voters of the state.

There are ten bullet points.

The first one reads repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering approved by nearly three quarters of Ohio electors participating in the statewide elections of 2015 and 2018, and eliminate the long standing ability of Ohio citizens to hold their representatives accountable for establishing fair state, legislative, and congressional districts.

The second bullet point was amended slightly.

The original version said establish a new taxpayer funded commission of appointees required to manipulate the boundaries of state, legislative, and congressional districts to favor the two largest political parties in the state of Ohio, according to a formula based on Partizan outcomes as the dominant factor.

Republican Senator Teresa Gavron proposed changing the word manipulate in that line to gerrymander, which those who brought the amendment say makes it appear that it would require gerrymandering.

When the goal of the amendment is to eliminate gerrymandering, a decision from the Ohio Supreme Court, which has four Republican and three Democratic justices, is expected to be quick since there are only just over 70 days till the election.

And military and overseas ballots must be done by September 20th.

This week, I talked to a senator who was one of the two Democrats on the ballot board last year when the panel got sued over ballot language for both issue once the requirement of a 60% voter approval to change the Constitution and the Reproductive Rights Amendment.

Senator Bill Dimauro was in Chicago this week as the convention and delegate director for the Ohio Democratic Party.

I mean, as somebody who came from, you know, being campaign person and all that, I have always thought that any time the Republicans can try to screw the people of Ohio or Democrats, they're going to do it.

So I have no delusions of grandeur that Rose was ever going to do anything to actually help the finish.

It's all in for himself and his cronies.

So I was on the ballot board because I brought a certain perspective, because I come from a poor background of so many running campaigns, working for the Democratic Party for so many years that, I mean, nothing really surprised me.

But I'll tell you what, the ballot language that they tried, that they passed last week even surprised me how nefarious and how just so misleading that it was.

I mean, again, it was bad.

It was horrible to start.

And then Senator Gavin Rooney's amendment to change out, they put in the word gerrymandering is just again, these people, all they think about is keeping power.

They don't want to they didn't want to govern for the people of Ohio.

They don't want to help people.

They're just trying to keep power at all costs, no matter, you know, screw the laws, screw, screw anything else.

But if we don't keep our power, and I think these are the people of Ohio's of our of seeing through it, through it.

I mean, three times last year, if you want, in August and if you one and two in November and this year and if you won, the voters are going to be through all the Republican shenanigans, and they're going to pass this overwhelmingly, and we're going to finally have districts that we are representative of the people, I mean, and don't forget, you and I ain't know that we pass to constantly amendments before this that the Republicans on the ballot, on the ballot for, I mean, on the committee just completely ignored.

They ignored the laws of the state of Ohio and then bought the Four Stooges on the Supreme Court.

Uphold that, this ridiculous, you know, this stuff.

And, I mean, it is a joke.

And because these guys, that's why we're going to we're going to take over the Supreme Court this year with our three candidates, and we're going to look and after the amendment passes, we're going to have a legislature that is going to look more like the state of Ohio and less and they will no longer have supermajorities.

So they can't keep passing these horrible bills and take away people's rights.

So, I mean, it's going to happen.

The people are going to see through this and frankly, will be a four time loser.

Republicans on the ballot.

Ward said that the ballot language that was submitted by citizens, not politicians, wasn't enough.

I mean, this is a complicated amendment.

And they said that the ten bullet points they came up with was appropriate to explain how complicated it is.

Yeah, these are the same people that, that that want to take away trans people's rights, that, that want to make it so that, people can't vote without strict ID laws.

They want they purged voters.

they took away they want to take away a woman's right to determine their own body, what's best for their body?

I mean, these guys, they lie through their teeth.

Nothing.

Just like the presidential candidate.

They can't say anything that's actually truthful.

They lie about everything and try to twist everything around to come out to their to some warped, warped sense of right that they have.

And the voters are going to be through it.

And again, whatever they justify is ludicrous.

I mean, I don't know how they sleep at night.

I don't know how their conscience got some sleep, but I when they lie, lie, lie, they follow some con artist who's running for president as a cult.

And I mean, again, and someday their judgment will come.

Let's talk a little bit about the presidential contest.

And I'm talking to you right now because you were in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, which has been a historic event in terms of all the things that have happened already.

We're talking right now, the night, the day before, Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the nomination formally and gets her speech.

What's it been like?

I mean, I've heard that you've been offered or some people have been offered thousands of dollars for the opportunity to come out on the floor and see this.

So I this morning, I mean, I was at it was in our staff office at 505 this morning, and by 505 this morning, I'd had three different emails or text messages offering me $10,000 for today.

I mean, it is it is unbelievable the excitement, the people that want to be here, to see history and see Kamala be, officially Democratic now, although she already is nominee.

But that way we had to do that again.

Republicans trying to make it shenanigans to get her on the ballot.

But she's our nominee.

And the speech tonight, is going to be overwhelming.

I mean, you saw on Tuesday night that there were two arenas completely filled out, one in Milwaukee where she was and the one in Chicago for the convention.

you know, Donald Trump in his birthday couldn't feel two arenas at the same time.

Two different cities.

And it it drives him crazy what we're doing here that that the excitement and the, just the number of people are overwhelmingly trying to go to our convention and the fact that people want to pay $10,000 to be in a room for an hour or an hour while she gives a speech, just shows you the excitement and the energy that's going on here in Chicago.

And you mentioned that she officially was nominated in a virtual roll call a couple of weeks ago.

That was made necessary in large part because of Ohio's law that required that presidential candidates be certified 90 days before the ballot.

That law was changed to take effect on September 1st.

So that virtual roll call essentially wasn't needed.

But do you think that changed the way that the roll call was done at the convention?

Because that's gotten a lot of attention?

Yeah, I mean, we changed.

I mean, it was changed because of Ohio and because we don't trust the Republican super illegal super majority of us in our Republican governor, secretary state.

I do, actually, if they if they can find a loophole to screw us, they're going to do it.

I mean, and I kept telling people here, the DNC the entire time, I mean, listen, I was worried about it.

Ever others, we would be here in Chicago this week.

They would call a special session legislature and rescinded September 1st.

And then we would not have a presidential can.

I don't put it past them because that's the way they think.

And these guys, again, they're a part of a cult that follows a convicted felon, and they want to get this guy on the ballot and want to keep their power.

They'll do anything.

And no one would trust any of these people to actually live by their word.

So we passed, we had a virtual roll call and the documents were sent to this.

I have Secretary of State by the 4:00 deadline of the original date.

So they couldn't do any shenanigans to try to somehow keep Kamala Harris off the ballot.

And the roll call that you did at the convention turned out to be more like a musical, celebration.

In a way, it was it was a ceremonial musical celebration.

They took the best of what we done before, with the roll calls on the States, and then took some of the stuff we did four years ago during Covid with a virtual call and put it on the one.

And as you saw, I mean, I think the DNC might do this more because I think people actually like this better than they do the regular roll call.

And I've been quoted by you and others when I said that, you know, between the conventions, having a 3.5 hour roll call, we have to listen to some small states.

They do a great state of whatever.

You know, we have less people than Franklin County and did all these great things alike.

And it's been the room for 3.5 hours.

I mean, it would drive most people in vain.

And I think the DNC learned that what we did on Tuesday night, it's so much better and so much more lively and and I think we're going to I think that might be the future.

Now that that that happened because it was so it was I mean, it took exactly one hour from start to finish.

And it was it was choreographed perfectly.

And all the music that I think that we we did everything, every convention now on, wait, do the same thing Ohio did vote for for President Trump in 2016 and 2020.

He won by eight points both times, and political experts are expecting that he will win Ohio again.

And what the biggest race, arguably in Ohio, in a way, is, the race between incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown and Trump endorsed northeast Ohio businessman Bernie Marino.

Sherrod Brown is not there.

He's actually campaigning in Ohio now, starting on Thursday.

What's the mood like within the Ohio delegation without him as a marquee candidate?

There was no listen, everybody in Ohio, not one of our guest speakers who came in, did not mention that Sherrod Brown was the most important Senate race in the country.

Everybody from Cory Booker to Governor Pritzker to Chairman Jamie Harrison, to, Jim Clyburn, everybody said Sherrod Brown needs to be reelected.

Every speaker that we had talked about, Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown's back in Ohio, talking to voters can actually vote for me.

I mean, Sherrod Brown got every member of my delegation.

Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown, I don't there's any question.

I mean, there is no question that everybody here in Chicago at at our breakfast is at our event.

I'm going to vote for Sherrod Brown.

chair needs to be in Ohio convincing those swing voters that we need to win this election, that it's the choice between someone who fights for the little guy who fights for organized labor, who fights for the rights of everybody to fight for reproductive choice against the guy who screws up employees and won't pay them the money they're owed because his profit is more important to take care of employees.

And so he wants to ban abortion on a national level.

So that's the kind of difference Sherrod Brown is making by being in Ohio, talking to voters.

He was in Shelby County this week.

He was in Montgomery County.

He was in Lucas County.

He was in Cleveland talking to barbers and hairstylists, and the city of Cleveland.

He's been all across the state this week talking to voters that he needs that vote for him, because every we probably have border people here from Ohio.

I guarantee you all 400 of us are going to vote for sure.

Brown.

We don't need to be here asking for our vote.

He needs to be in Ohio, asking for theirs.

And finally, you've been very critical of Frank Rose as secretary of state.

You've you've made a lot of comments calling him Mr.

Irrelevant and a clown show and some of these things not just for ballot board stuff, but for other actions.

Are you considering running for Secretary of state or where does this come from?

I mean, I'm in my stead both right now.

And I think everybody knows that most about I think they're holding their laughter back.

I mean, I hadn't even if you're the first person ever even mentioned that to me.

So, I appreciate your confidence.

I mean, Frank Rose being on the ballot next year, so, so is not running against Frank Rose.

He's not running security.

Thank God he can't do any more harm after.

I mean, here's a guy to repurpose 2.1 million voters from our rolls because they know that if everybody votes, we win.

So, I don't know.

I mean, I've already heard that.

Maybe I know Senator Gavron thinking about it, I think that Jake Edwards is thinking about it.

I think there's a couple other people that are thinking about running Secretary of State, that you're the first person to ask that question, right?

I mean, given the thought, I mean, trust me, I'm on four hours of sleep, and I've been here since last Wednesday, and I have a lot of crazy thoughts going through my brain to them, almost delirious.

But that has not been one of them so far.

For at least the last few decades, presidential nomination conventions have been extravagant displays of party unity, featuring speakers, mostly current and former candidates and officeholders.

But sometimes celebrities and people selected by the parties to tell their personal stories.

Well, there's also music, highly produced videos, signs, hats, costumes, buttons and of course, lots of balloons at the end.

And at those conventions, the parties set a tone and debut the messages that they'll use in the upcoming campaign.

I talked with political science professor David Cohen, who directs the Applied Politics program at the University of Akron's Bliss Institute, about what he heard and saw from the Republican National Convention in July and the Democratic National Convention this past week.

The Republican convention started with former President Trump coming out of an assassination attempt.

There were certainly references to that, the RNC, but there was a huge change after that convention where President Biden, who Republicans had spent their convention attacking and criticizing, dropped out of the race.

Vice President Kamala Harris became the nominee and essentially had to reintroduce herself.

Did the DNC essentially wipe out all the messaging from the RNC?

well, you know, certainly the change at the top, wiped out, almost all the messaging from the RNC.

And, it's really interesting watching both conventions.

the tone, both conventions, so very different.

You know, the, the RNC, you know, very much, you know, right on the heels of the assassination attempt, very bleak, you know, kind of, I think kind of kind of dark.

You got the people holding up the mass deportation signs.

there was a lot of, you know, a lot of fear mongering.

and I think the Democrat saw this, and even though they spent a lot of time criticizing Donald Trump, and his four years in office, I think they've tried really hard to have a very positive, looking forward message.

and it's it it really is.

You couldn't have two more stark, starkly different, conventions and the messaging that's, that's coming out of the, out of them both.

And, you know, that that change, really, I think threw off, the Trump campaign.

and then shockingly, they weren't they weren't ready for that, even even after the June, presidential debate, I think that there were some people who had seen President Biden's campaign as being kind of in that dark saving America area, as Republicans had.

So this change really seemed pretty obvious.

I mean, you had the RNC themes of Make America Wealthy once again, make America safe once again, make America Strong, once again make America Great once again.

Those were the nightly themes.

And the Democrats have been for the people, a bold vision for America's future, a fight for our freedoms and for our future.

So there are some really, it looks like Republicans were more like, let's do these things once again.

While Democrats were looking more toward something in the future that's different.

Well, yeah.

And and that has been part of the messaging coming out of the Democratic, party and especially the Harris Wallace campaign, which is we're not going back, we're turning the page and, the, the Trump campaign, the Trump Vance campaign has been very much we want to turn the clock back.

We want to go back to four years ago, when Donald Trump was president.

And, and I think that's really the key theme of this campaign and for voters is do you want to go back to that time or do you want to go forward?

And so much, this is a fascinating election for so many reasons.

but it's the first time in the modern era that voters are going to be voting for a presidential candidate that has already served as president, but isn't currently the incumbent.

and so there's there's some retrospective voting there, which always happens when you have an incumbent president, in office.

that is running for reelection.

You don't have that in this case, but you have somebody that's already served.

So in essence, it's retrospective voting.

And, you know, people have to ask themselves, you know, do we want to go back to the Trump years or do we want to go forward into the future with a younger candidate, with a more positive message?

So the RNC had an easier job in terms of everyone knows who former President Trump is, because, like you said, he did serve for four years.

Vice President Kamala Harris is new to some people.

That is potentially a challenge for Democrats is they're trying to introduce her as Republicans are attacking her even during the convention and before it.

It is a challenge, but it's a tremendous opportunity because to a great extent, she's a she's a a relatively clean slate.

Even though she served as vice president for three and a half years.

you know, people in 2020 were not voting for Kamala Harris.

They were voting for Joe Biden.

you know, the ones that voted on the Democratic side of the ledger.

and so this is a tremendous opportunity for her and for the convention to, for her to define herself and tell the world who Kamala Harris is.

I mean, there's no better opportunity than a an acceptance speech at a convention.

there's almost, no bigger, opportunity and event with more people watching, and plus all the viral videos, then a in an acceptance speech and, you know, that's, you know, maybe when you're present state of the Union address obviously is a slightly bigger, but this is just below that.

And so this is a big opportunity.

And, you know, it's it's interesting because she had a lot of negatives, in terms of polling coming into the very moment, that the switch was made, and you saw, those, you know, she's she's more popular now, than than Donald Trump.

on the Republican side, those numbers have, have kind of flipped.

and that's because not many people know much about her.

And so this speech is going to give her, you know, even even more opportunity to define who she is and more importantly, what her vision for the country is.

one thing convention's trying to do is unify the base for those final weeks of the campaign, when voter registration and contact mobilization becomes so important because you want to get your candidate to the finish line.

Do you think that was accomplished at both of these conventions?

Yeah, I think, I think the Republican convention certainly solidified the base.

I don't think, though, that they broadened the tent, which was which is a huge challenge, because if you're going to run just a base election, you've got to make sure that your base comes out in record numbers.

I'm not seeing that kind of enthusiasm on that side.

I know that Trump's base is pretty enthusiastic, but it's it's pretty small, too.

You have to include, disaffected Republicans, maybe those Nikki Haley voters.

You have to include, independents.

and you have to get them to come back, you know, after they left in 2020.

I haven't seen that in any of the polling.

I think Democrats, if again, if you would have asked me two months ago, I would have said they're dead in the water.

The enthusiasm on the Democratic side could not be any lower.

that's completely changed.

I think the Democrats have all the momentum they got the enthusiasm.

I think you're seeing it in voter registration numbers, and volunteer numbers, in the size of the rallies that they're able to put together at the very last minute.

I think, I think the momentum definitely is on the Democratic side.

Did either convention do you think brought bring in disaffected or non engaged voters, people who just have said they don't want anything to do with the political process.

Do you think either of these conventions reach those folks?

Well, it's too early to tell about the Democratic side.

We we haven't seen it on the Republican side.

I mean, the polling is not showing that independents after the convention were, you know, streaming to Trump.

and he really didn't get a convention bounce.

Democrats are hoping for a big bounce.

Some of those, you know, bounce numbers will be independents that are coming over.

And so we'll see.

We'll see what the polling is showing.

I think the Democrats have been very smart by having so many Republicans speak at their convention.

My gosh, they even had, you know, Stephanie Grisham speak at the convention.

She, you know, she was the white House press secretary, you know, during the Trump administration.

and, and, also, you know, was Melania's press secretary and I think Melania's chief of staff, you have another, a whole host of other Republicans that are speaking at the convention.

I think it's really smart because what that helps the Democrats do, unlike what the Republicans did, is to, is to make the tent bigger, which is what you have to do if you want to win the general election.

Now the conventions are don expect the ad blitz to really start.

Marino has launched a $25 million ad buy for broadcast and digital platforms.

Brown has booked more than $40 million in ads since April.

Ohio's is the most expensive U.S. Senate race this year, with the candidates and outside groups already spending more than $300 million.

And that is it for this week for my colleagues at the Statehouse News Bureau of Ohio Public Radio and Television.

Thanks for watching.

Please check out our website as state news talk or find us online by searching.

State of Ohio show.

You can also hear more from the Bureau on our podcast, The Ohio State House scoop.

Look for it every Monday morning wherever you get your podcasts.

And please join us again next time for the state of Ohio.

Okay.

This is.

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A.

Support for the Statehouse News Bureau comes from Medical Mutual, dedicated to the health and well-being of Ohioans, offering health insurance plans, as well as dental, vision and wellness programs to help people achieve their goals and remain healthy.

More at Med mutual.com.

The law offices of Porter, right, Morris and Arthur LLP.

Porter Wright is dedicated to bringing inspired legal outcomes to the Ohio business community.

More at porterwright.com.

Porter Wright inspired Every day in Ohio Education Association, representing 120,000 educators who are united in their mission to create the excellent public schools.

Every child deserves more at OHEA.org.