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The candidates and campaigns of 2024 come down to the wire.

A recap of how issue one would work, and a packed tribute to a woman who made history in Ohio politics.

That's this week in the state of Ohio.

Welcome to the state of Ohio.

I'm Karen Kasler.

The wait for election night is down to hours now.

After months and sometimes years of campaigning and strategizing, since Ohio is no longer a battleground or swing states, the US Senate race is the marquee contest on this November ballot.

The battle between incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger and former car dealer and tech entrepreneur Bernie Marino is one of the most expensive in the country.

And polls show it's also one of the closest.

Sherrod Brown is running what he calls his toughest reelection campaign ever.

Highlighting his work on bipartisan legislation such as the Chips act to send funding to technology companies like Intel to make more computer chips in the U.S.. And the Pact act, which helps military veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Brown also supported a bipartisan border security bill that was spiked in the Senate after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke out against it.

recently.

Brown is talking up a bill to block what he calls predatory investing by eliminating tax breaks for companies that buy up houses in big numbers.

He's also focused on abortion and reproductive rights.

Brown included in an ad a leaked video with comments from Marino saying it's crazy.

Women over 50 are worried about abortion, which Marino's campaign has called a joke.

But Brown says it's not a joking matter.

Marino is challenging Brown as the Trump endorsed candidate in a state.

The former president won twice and is expected to win again.

He says he has no differences with Trump on public policy.

For instance, he supports mass scale deportations of immigrants who have come to the U.S. illegally.

And he blasts the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

And Marino notes that while Brown says in his ads he worked with Trump on fentanyl legislation and that he will work with whoever wins the white House, Brown votes to support the policies of President Biden nearly every time.

Marino has said abortion should be left to states, but also that he's 100% pro-life, which has Democrats noting that he has backed a 15 week national abortion ban.

The campaign finance tracking group opens secret, says Sherrod Brown, who spent $86 million on his campaign, and Bernie Marino spent $21 million.

The group also estimates at least $260 million of outside money has been spent on this race so far.

And most of that against Brown.

The only statewide issue that voters will see is issue one.

The plan to replace the seven elected officials on the Ohio Redistricting Commission with a 15 member citizens commission, which will draw maps for Ohio's members of Congress and the state House and Senate.

Issue one has been about ten months in the making, though the idea of changing the redistricting process began during the mapmaking that was used for the first time starting in 2021.

As far back as January 2022, activists were working on it after Republican Maureen O'Connor, then chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, reminded them in the first ruling, striking down a commission map as unconstitutional that going to the ballot was an option.

But those who'd long battled for redistricting reform or cautious, And so I was pleased that the Chief Justice saw a need for a path forward.

And it's worth thinking about.

It also is worth taking some time researching what happened in other states and thinking through the best way forward.

the legislative and congressional maps drawn and approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission were all ruled unconstitutional, and seven court challenges before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Federal court decisions ordered the unconstitutional maps to be used in the 2022 elections, with new maps to be drawn for 2024.

Last year of the maps got some changes and the commission's two Democrats spoke out against them.

But all seven members voted to approve the maps.

By then, there was a proposed amendment working through the process of getting to the ballot.

this is exactly why we need to take politicians and lobbyists out of the equation.

Citizens, not politicians, would be a 15 member commission of five Republicans, five Democrats, and five independents or unaffiliated voters, all with one goal to fairly draw districts that treat every voter equally.

After a delay because of a typo, the citizens, not politicians amendment was approved and signature gathering began last December.

In March, the group got a boost from former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

No, not only for his movies and his annual bodybuilding and fitness festival in Columbus, but also for his support of redistricting changes in Ohio.

Going back to those two constitutional amendments in 2015 and 2018 that created the Ohio Redistricting Commission.

Then, on July 1st, more than 730,000 signatures were turned into the Secretary of State's office to put the amendment before voters.

Issue one would scrap the Ohio Redistricting Commission made up of the governor, the secretary of state, the auditor, and four lawmakers, two from each party and each chamber, and replace it with a 15 member citizens commission of five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents.

Here's how that works.

The four state lawmaker is on the Ohio ballot.

Board would each nominate eight retired judges to serve on a bipartisan screening panel.

The Democratic lawmakers would then choose two judges nominated by the Republicans and vice versa.

The bipartisan panel made up of those four retired judges, would then screen the applications from people who apply to be commissioners.

Anyone with professional political ties, such as those who have in the last six years been elected officials, lobbyists, party activists or their family members will be rejected.

A pool of 90 people, 30 Republicans, 30 Democrats and 30 independents, geographically and demographically diverse will be selected by the retired judges.

That group will be reduced to 45 after public comment and broadcast interviews of each.

The group will be cut to six by the judges through a random drawing at a public meeting.

Then, in another public meeting, those six commissioners and even number of Republicans, Democrats and independents will choose the other nine commissioners through a majority vote.

The panel of retired judges will also select at least six special masters to work with the Commission and the courts.

If there's a legal challenge.

Former Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor wrote.

The citizens, not politicians amendment.

That is issue one.

She says it gets rid of the flaw in the current redistricting system.

What she calls the Trojan horse.

It's the redistricting commission.

It's the make up of the redistricting commission that's embedded in the constitutional amendments.

Nobody thought too much of it at the time.

And why?

Because it was a trust.

You know, exercise.

We're going to trust these politicians that are populating the redistricting commission to do the right thing, to have integrity, to operate in good faith.

All right.

Silly, silly us.

You know, it the system's broken.

It's broken because politicians, occupy all seats in the redistricting commission.

And politicians will.

Number one, preserve their own personal power and status, in, government.

And they were also going to try and strengthen their party's presence.

Their party's power.

And to do that, they gerrymander.

Ryan Steuben Roush, from the no.

One one campaign, says voters overwhelmingly approve the current setup, which he admits has problems.

no one thinks that everything that the system is perfectly I certainly don't I'm not here to defend maps or lines or anything like that.

What I'm here to defend is the people who elect the map makers should be Ohioans, should be voters.

And what issue one does is it takes away the accountability that Ohioans have had for 222 years.

If you don't like the maps and how they're drawn, fire the map makers.

It's been that simple for quite some time.

But the real difference here, what we're seeing in Ohio is that policies change, politics change, parties change.

And that's why Republicans are dominant in Ohio.

It's not because of maps, it's because of voters.

I mean, look at the last 28 statewide executive elections.

Democrats are oh for 28.

And so that's not gerrymander.

You can't gerrymander a state that's just shifting policies and shifting, political preferences.

Issue one is supported by most elected Democrats as well as civil rights organizations, unions, faith groups, pro-choice groups, and a bipartisan coalition of business leaders.

Issue one as opposed by elected Republican officeholders in Ohio, including governor Mike DeWine, who is on the redistricting commission.

He has said he'll work with lawmakers to put in a system like the widely respected one in Iowa, and is also opposed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and other major business groups, along with Ohio Right to Life and the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Citizens, not politicians, sued over the ballot summary language that was written by Secretary of State Frank Larose.

It was also on the Ohio Redistricting Commission and approved by the ballot board, which he chairs.

O'Connor called it illegal, unconstitutional and the worst ballot language she's ever seen.

But the Ohio Supreme Court's majority Republican justices upheld that language as constitutional with a few changes.

Citizens, not politicians, raised more than $39 million in the last year to pass issue one, with 83% of that money coming from sources outside of Ohio.

The opposition group Ohio Works, has raised $5.6 million since August, with about 52% coming from out of state.

The vote on issue one next month marks the sixth time that Ohio voters have been asked to change the redistricting process since 1967 to previous efforts to create an independent commission to draw district maps failed in 2005 and 2012.

This is the first presidential election in Ohio where voters are required to show a valid photo ID, such as a driver's license, a passport, a military ID or state issued ID.

But sometimes there's a problem and a voter's identity can be in question.

I talked about options for those voters in those situations with nasal compassion.

But the League of Women Voters of Ohio you know, voters sometimes forget their ID.

It's expired.

A poll worker doesn't think their signature matches the one in the book.

What do voters do in those kind of circumstances?

Yeah.

So if you show up to vote and for any reason, the poll worker is telling you that you cannot vote a regular ballot because like you said, your, ID might be expired or you moved.

We have a field safety in Ohio called a provisional ballot.

And it's really for the benefit of the voter.

The good news is that if any of those things happened, you can vote that provisional ballot and that you have four days to cure your ballot.

So it really depends on your circumstance.

Why you could why you needed to vote that provisional ballot.

But let's just say, for example, that your ID was expired in the four days you have to carry your ID, you need to go to the BMV, update your ID, they'll give you an interim ID, which is a paper ID, and that's totally okay.

And then you would take that to the Board of Elections and show them your ID and your provisional ballot will be counted.

Same thing, for example, like if you're if you had a name change, you have four days to show up with your, you know, court order or your marriage license or whatever it is to, to again cure, cure your ballot.

And so you need to make sure to pay attention to the instructions from the poll worker to do whatever it is you need to cure that ballot.

Now, there are limits on provisional ballots, though you can only cast them in your in your correct precinct, right?

You can't cast anyone.

That's correct.

It's really important that people show up to their correct polling location.

And it's the way to think about this is that every every location has a different ballot because there are local issues on your ballot.

Right?

So you can't show up somewhere else where they're voting potentially on different things.

So if you if you live in Ohio and you moved within Ohio, you can still go vote.

But you you can't vote at your old voting location.

You've got to go to your voting location that's assigned to the residence that you live in.

And so you can you can call your county Board of elections to figure out what that is.

Or you can call the League of Women Voters, and we'll help you, but show up to the correct polling location that is assigned to the residence that you live in.

And then you can you can get that straightened out.

You might have to vote a provisional ballot, but you can get that straightened out in the next four days.

Either way, what about college students?

Where do they vote?

They have to go home.

Or can they vote?

Like if they're from Cleveland and going to Ohio State, can they vote in Columbus?

Yeah.

College students are special.

They get their choice.

So college students can vote at home.

At home of their, if they consider their parents house, their home residents.

Many other states.

I don't have it memorized for every state, but I know that our surrounding states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.

If you are from out of state, you can vote at home.

But if you are from another county again, you can you can choose your at home residents as your voting residence, but you can also choose your dorm or apartment on campus to be your voting residence.

And so you already.

The important thing is, now that the, voter registration deadline has expired.

So you have to figure out where you are registered to vote.

You can't change it at this point, and then you've got to vote at that location.

Also important to know that the, deadline to, to request a mail ballot has also changed.

So at this point, you're going to have to vote in person if you haven't requested that mail ballot already.

So, Sunday is the last day of early voting.

If you need to travel, like out of your area or out of county, there is still a weekend of voting ahead of us to do that.

What are the assurances that voters have that their provisional ballot will be counted?

Well, Ohio has very, like good bipartisan, transparent structures in place to make sure that every voting is counted and that the election results are accurate.

So for provisional ballots, for example, those provisional ballots, you know, they they all have different circumstances.

They are reviewed, but in a public meeting by the Board of elections.

And so people can show up and like see what that looks like, like what is the what is the procedure for, for reviewing a provisional ballot.

Why is it denied?

Why is it approved?

And if any and if people have any questions, they can they can raise them at that meeting.

the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition, runs the Ohio Election Protection Hotline for voters who have concerns or problems.

It's at 866 our vote.

The Ohio Department of Health is making some welcome news.

Official statewide unintentional drug overdose deaths are still declining after a 5% decrease in 2022.

Ohio recorded a 9% year over year decrease in 2023.

Governor Mike DeWine says he credits the progress to the state's strategy at addressing the addiction and overdose crisis, which combines intervention, treatment and enforcement programs like Recovery Ohio.

For a state that saw the second highest percentage of deaths nationwide for a time in the 20 tens.

DeWine says it is a reason to celebrate, but cautiously.

4400 Ohioans died of a drug overdose last year, a little over 12 people a day.

Every overdose death represents a son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, father.

We owe it to every Ohio family, every person struggling with addiction to continue this battle preliminary data shows that downward trend in continuing into 2024, in Ohio and the United States.

The state of Ohio won't finalize those numbers until next fall.

Five of Ohio's six living governors were among the standing room only crowd of hundreds of mourners at the statehouse to remember Joanne Davidson.

She was the first and only woman to serve as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, and was a fixture in Republican politics in Ohio.

Davidson died Friday at 97 years old.

She became speaker in 1995 and was first elected to the House in 1980.

She served three terms as speaker and left the legislature in 2001 because of term limits.

Davidson was the first chair of the Ohio Casino Control Commission in 2011, and was a trustee for several universities.

She was also the Republican National Committee woman from Ohio from 2005 to April 2024, and helped to bring the 2016 Republican National Convention to Cleveland.

Though she supported then Governor John Kasich over Donald Trump.

Republican governors Mike DeWine and Bob Taft were among the attendees, along with John Kasich and Nancy Hollister, who served for nine days as governor.

After George Voinovich left to take his seat in the U.S. Senate in January 1999.

And Hollister was sworn in to her new job as a state representative right after that by Davidson.

It's amazing.

The gathering of.

Soldiers.

It's leadership.

Personality.

Super.

It's a love scene.

I had some students came to me and described to me she was a friend.

She was a mentor.

And she was my favorite.

Kasich called Davidson incredible.

she's a great leader.

You know, the Lord gave her a lot of tools and she used them all to the maps.

God did so much good for so many people.

And she's a great friend.

Former Governor Ted Strickland was among the Democrats in attendance.

obviously she is a legend.

If it wasn't for the influence, she did so much good.

You know, definition.

So she's no activist leader.

And this is a sad day for all of us.

Most of her.

It's a wonderful day in terms of remembering all the good stuff that is behind.

And yet just talk with her and sons and many others.

How about of.

This is and what has turned into here.

I said that speech which combines.

Republican House Speaker Jason Stevens was at the memorial, along with former speakers Bob Cup and Cliff Rosenberger, the first Asian-American speaker of the House who met Davidson when he was working for President George W Bush.

Joanne blazed the trail for a lot of folks.

And I say this often.

It's not just for money.

So for minorities and also to myself and, there's a lot to, you know, she she showed me that, you know, because I'm Asian-American doesn't mean that I don't have a chance to.

So, I have a lot of respect for and, grateful for this.

And that's all I to say.

I don't think I want to think about the a.

Also among the mourners, former Senate President Larry Bob Hof, Tom Niehaus and Doug White, who remembers Davidson, born in rural Indiana before moving to Findlay and supporting him in what he called an impossible race.

This country folk who stand up for one another and solid for a lifetime.

Also at the memorial, three term Senate president Richard Fine and currently the mayor of even Dale near Cincinnati, She was a very fine speaker.

So when you.

When she's going through something, this is how it's going to be even worse.

You know, it was going to step by step.

We used to have a long history that went on.

At one time, she didn't agree with me.

I didn't agree with her.

We would step out of the room and just, you know, and we worked it out.

The other I remember one time I told her the, you know, I think the pages really are getting worse.

So she says, I think she she said, let's put in a question.

I said, I'm asking and we're going to reptiles.

We have blue jackets.

And we thought this was a great person.

It former higher education chancellor and Senator Randy Gardner was the House majority leader and speaker pro tem under Davidson.

It was just an absolute honor to work with someone.

The intellect, the energy, the ability to bring people together.

And, Also among the crowd were dozens of graduates of Davidson's Leadership Institute for women in Politics and Business, most of them wearing red.

Since it was founded in 2000, 487 women have gone through the eight month program, including Ruth Edmonds.

So I think that they meant so much to us as a pioneering woman, pioneering the opportunities for women of all colors of all ages throughout the state of Ohio to be involved with government, whether it was like this issue within official or just somewhere within the administration, and she she just challenged us to go forth, to go to work, and there was never going to be the right time.

So you just do it.

Columbus, attorney Frank Reed was working as a page for the Ohio Senate when Davidson became speaker, taking over for longtime Democratic Speaker Vern Rice.

Never mind.

Yes, the Third Reich never actually up to.

What he did.

He didn't give her never a ceremony with class in style to you.

The eulogy was delivered by Davidson's longtime friend, Betty Mitt Romney, a former state senator and one of the few people to be elected to two statewide executive offices, and her case auditor and attorney general.

to win this upcoming?

She was strategic.

She was Texas.

She was gracious.

She was honest.

She cared desperately.

So public policy.

And she loved this institution.

She's wonderful.

Other speakers at the service included Republican former U.S. Representative Deborah Price and Emily Enslin, one of Davidson's three grandchildren.

That is it for this week from my colleagues at the Statehouse News Bureau of Ohio Public Media.

Thanks for watching.

Please check out our website at State news.org 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.

Okay.

This is.

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.