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David Skolnick

Don’t ignore local races, issues

Voter turnout in odd-numbered years typically is very low, though expectations for this election are much higher. That’s because of two statewide issues on the ballot. You’re unlikely to find many issues that attract voter interest more than these two: abortion rights and the legalization of recreational marijuana. Still, it shouldn’t take having the two statewide issues on the ballot to get people to vote in elections, particularly as important as local ones. Having abortion rights and the legalization of recreational marijuana on the same ballot has Tom McCabe, director of ...

Redistricting reform sought

With a number of organizations still angry about the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s approval of General Assembly maps, the effort to change how federal and state legislative districts took a step forward. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost approved summary petition language as “fair and truthful” for a constitutional amendment that would take the power to draw those districts away from politicians and give it to a 15-member citizens commission. The approval from Yost, a Republican, came after he twice rejected petition language from an organization called Citizens Not ...

Valley gets one competitive district

When Democrats on the Ohio Redistricting Commission cut a deal with their Republican counterparts, the Mahoning Valley didn’t come into play. The seven-member commission unanimously voted in favor of state legislative maps that give Republicans 61 state House seats to 38 for Democrats with eight Democratic and three Republican toss-up districts. The compromise gave Democrats one more seat in the House than an initial Republican proposal did, but it keeps the GOP supermajority. Not much changed in the state Senate map proposed last week by Republicans. The GOP would still retain a ...

Language likely won’t impact abortion vote

Except for a minor tweak, the Ohio Supreme Court decided to keep ballot language for the reproductive rights constitutional amendment that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot intact. But no matter what the court decided, many people are unlikely to read the ballot language before they vote or understand it. Voters know the proposal would make abortions accessible in Ohio if it passes. Also, we will be inundated with ads from both sides telling what they see as the impact of the constitutional amendment. There will be those swayed by what they read and see. Why else would there be a need ...

Frenchko political plan brings intrigue

While several candidates are expected to file for two Trumbull County commissioner seats up in next year’s election, there is nothing more intriguing than what Niki Frenchko, one of the incumbents, plans to do. Frenchko, a Republican, has nominating petitions for both the seat she holds, as well as for the seat currently held by Democrat Mauro Cantalamessa, seeking re-election. To be polite, the two don’t get along. Frenchko will face a Republican opponent in the primary regardless of her decision. Not only does Frenchko have to figure out which Republican is easier to defeat, ...

State redistricting to resume

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet Wednesday for the first time in more than a year to work on state legislative maps with little time to finalize. It’s the latest in a series of moves to get federal and state legislative maps in place for the 2024 election. The federal map used last year, despite being ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, will remain for the 2024 election. (More on that below.) With a Dec. 20 filing deadline for candidates running in the March 19, 2024, primary, there isn’t much time to resolve the state legislative issues. The Ohio ...