Ohio officials argue ballot language error on State Issue 1 is ‘not a material defect’: Capitol Letter

May 03, 2023

Hundreds gather in the atrium of the Ohio statehouse to protest the passage of a joint resolution, which if approved by voters would make future constitutional amendments harder to pass in Ohio. The proposal eventually became State Issue 1. (Jake Zuckerman/Cleveland.com)

War of words: State lawyers acknowledged Friday that the Ohio Ballot Board made an error in how it wrote ballot language summarizing State Issue 1, the proposal to make it harder to change the state constitution. But as Andrew Tobias writes, they contend the error was "immaterial," and the Ohio Supreme Court shouldn't order them to rewrite it. The development was contained in the state's response to a lawsuit from an anti-Issue 1 group that challenges the ballot language as biased, incomplete and inaccurate. Overall, state lawyers representing Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose say the language accurately and neutrally describes what the proposal would do.

Gas pedal: Oil and gas companies formally requested legal rights to drill underneath one state park and two wildlife areas, Jake Zuckerman reports. This opens up a public comment period and marks some of the industry's first tangible steps to snatching the ore underneath thousands of acres of undeveloped public lands.

Steeling jobs: Both of Ohio's U.S. Senators are asking the U.S. Department of Energy to reconsider proposed standards for electrical transformer production that would eliminate the market for grain oriented electrical steel produced by Cleveland-Cliffs, risking 1,500 jobs at the company's Zanesville Works and Butler Works plants, Sabrina Eaton reports. In December, Granholm proposed new energy-efficiency standards for the transformers that would require the use of amorphous steel in almost all new transformers starting in 2027 because those transformers are more energy efficient than those made of the grain oriented electrical steel that Cleveland Cliff produces.

The interview: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, is seeking a transcribed interview with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official who oversees deportations. Along with a California congressman who chairs its immigration subcommittee, Jordan sent a Monday interview request letter to its deputy executive associate director in charge of removal operations that questions why ICE's "removal of illegal aliens" has fallen dramatically from 2020 levels.

Strange brew: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a settlement with Anheuser-Busch that will require it to pay $537,000 in penalties and implement a comprehensive safety review of its 11 breweries in Ohio and other states that use anhydrous ammonia as a refrigerant. The substance must be handled with care because it is corrosive to skin, eyes and lungs. It said a 2018 ammonia release at the company's facility in Fort Collins, Colorado, injured two employees.

College kids: With the Senate's budget set for an unveiling Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday emphasized the need to fund scholarship opportunities in Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch's Arianna Smith reports. DeWine said the state economy needs more skilled workers to attract business.

Exit strategy: Ohio was one of several Republican states to bail on a national partnership to sniff out voter fraud by sharing data. NPR points out in a wide-ranging look at the Electronic Registration Information Center that a "common thread" connecting the public officials who made those decisions, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, was desire for higher office. LaRose is eyeing a 2024 run for U.S. Senate and told NPR that he was not influenced by misinformation in deciding to pull out of the partnership.

A look at who's registered to lobby on Senate Bill 53, which would lower the minimum age for police officers in Ohio from 21 to 18.

Emily Moreno Miller, Philip Williamson, and Sheila Willamowski Boehner have joined the board of directors for Ohio Right to Life.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a Champaign County Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, headlined a "Taste of East Texas" fundraiser over the weekend for U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran, a Republican on his committee, KLTV reported.

Taylor Popielarz, Spectrum News’ Washington, D.C. correspondent who has focused on Ohio, announced he has accepted a new job as national political reporter at Spectrum News.

Ex-House Speaker Larry Householder

State Rep. Dan Troy

"There are two schools of thought within the GOP on Blackrock. The old guard thinks they’re creating value and need to be rewarded with tax cuts. I think they’re destroying value and are engaged in illegal and immoral conduct. They need to be dealt with accordingly."

- A Twitter statement from U.S. Sen. JD Vance in response to reports that the BlackRock investment management firm "discriminates against white men."

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