Breaking News

David Skolnick

Ballot drop boxes targeted again

After a federal judge ruled a state law violated the voting rights of those with disabilities, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose again went after ballot drop boxes outside county boards of elections. LaRose, a Republican, issued a directive to county boards of elections requiring them to get signatures on attestations from those dropping off ballots for others in response to the federal decision that the state violated the Voting Rights Act by restricting who could return absentee ballots for those with disabilities. That means that a person who under state law is permitted to put ...

Will state rep stay on ballot?

With the Mahoning County Board of Elections deadlocked at 2-2 on the eligibility of state Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, to the Nov. 5 ballot, the tie will be broken by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. The only time frame I received from LaRose’s office on breaking the tie is it will be sooner rather than later. I expect LaRose, a Republican, to side with the board’s two GOP members and keep Fischer on the ballot as there appears to be enough of a gray area on the matter, but you never know. If LaRose sides with the Democratic board members, who decided Fischer isn’t ...

DAVID SKOLNICK: Ohio’s redistricting map issue on ballot draws ire

The existing redistricting system — approved by voters in 2015 and 2018 — isn’t very effective and needs changes. That’s the opinion of Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican and member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, as well as plenty of Democrats. The commission drew state ...

Kamala Harris buys ad time in Valley

The presidential campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris is spending $90 million over the next three weeks airing commercials in battleground areas as well as Youngstown and Toledo even though the vice president has essentially no chance of beating Republican Donald Trump in Ohio. The Harris campaign said the “$90 million paid media buy will target voters in every battleground state and expand the campaign’s reach into markets like Marquette, Alpena (both in Michigan), Toledo, Erie and Youngstown — markets where the Trump campaign is ceding the airwaves as their candidate spends this ...

Senate race spotlights abortion

Abortion and women’s reproductive rights are major election issues, particularly since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. It’s no different in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio between Sherrod Brown, the incumbent Democratic senator seeking his fourth six-year term, and Republican Bernie Moreno, a former car dealer and blockchain owner. The matchup is considered one of the most competitive Senate races in the country and could decide which political party controls the upper chamber. In Ohio, voters approved a constitutional amendment in November to ensure ...