Ohio Republican Leaders Blast Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Change Redistricting Process

Mike DeWine

The Ohio Republican Party and Governor Mike DeWine both announced opposition on Wednesday to a proposed constitutional amendment that would amend Ohio’s constitution by rewriting redistricting rules.

Every 10 years after the U.S. Census, the Ohio Redistricting Commission – comprised of seven members – is tasked with redrawing Ohio’s 99 House districts and 33 Senate districts to reflect the most recent census results.

Read the full story

Ohio Coalition Resubmits Petition to End Qualified Immunity for Government Employees

A group of Ohioans wants to try yet again to change the state’s Constitution to permit lawsuits against government employees.

The amendment, aiming for the November 2024 presidential election, looks to add a Section 22 to Article I of the Ohio Constitution in order to end qualified immunity being used to protect state employees, including but not limited to law enforcement officers, against civil lawsuits.

Read the full story

Bernie Moreno and Kari Lake Rally Ohio Republicans to Vote in Support of Issue 1

On Monday, Republican businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate Bernie Moreno and Arizona Republican politician and former candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake rallied Republicans to vote in support of Ohio State Issue on August 8th.

Moreno and Lake attended a county Republican rally in Cleveland in support of Ohio State Issue 1 to raise the threshold to amend the state constitution. They spoke to hundreds of voters at the Get Out the Vote Rise and Shine Rally at the Strongsville GOP in Parma.

Read the full story

Ohio GOP Chairman Calls John Legend’s Opposition to Issue 1 an Attempt to ‘Trick Ordinary People’

On Tuesday morning Alex Triantafilou, the head of the Ohio Republican Party responded to the announcement that Ohio-born singer-songwriter John Legend is rallying with Democrats against State Issue 1 calling it an attempt to “trick ordinary people.”

This follows a Democratic-backed group One Person One Vote announcing that Legend would attend their Cincinnati rally on Tuesday afternoon to encourage attendees to vote against Issue 1 during the state’s special election on August 8th.

Read the full story

Ohio Republican Party Pushes Back Against ACLU Stance on Ohio Parents’ Bill of Rights

The Ohio Republican Party is pushing back against the “radical extremist” group, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio’s (ACLU), opposition to House Bill (HB) 8 which aims to require school systems to have policies in place that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education.

House Bill (HB) 8, known as the “Parents Bill of Rights,” aims to require school systems to alert parents before using materials with explicit sexual content in class, gives parents the option to review curriculum for sexually explicit content and request alternate education, requires school systems to inform parents of any changes to the mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being services given to their kids, and requires school systems to develop a parent-approved health care plan for each student.

Read the full story

Ohio League of Women Voters Oppose State Issue 1 Despite Using a 66 Percent Amendment Threshold in their Organization By-Laws

The Democratic League of Women Voters have said that they are adamantly against Ohio State Issue 1 which aims to change the percentage needed to amend the constitution by a statewide ballot initiative to a supermajority of 60 percent from the current 50 percent plus one.

Their opposition is inconsistent however as their own organization’s bylaws require a 66 percent vote for amendments.

Read the full story

Ohio Democrats Oppose State Issue 1 Despite Using a 60 Percent Amendment Threshold in Their Own Party Rules

Ohio Democrats have said they are adamantly against Ohio State Issue 1, which tries to change the percentage needed to amend the state Constitution by a statewide ballot initiative to a supermajority of 60 percent from the current 50 percent plus one.

However, their opposition is inconsistent, as their party constitution uses a 60 percent amendment threshold.

Read the full story

Ohio Republicans Launch Campaign to Shed Light on Importance of Protecting State Constitution Through Issue 1

A group of Republicans have launched a campaign in support of State Issue 1 the proposal aimed at altering the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

The campaign group called Protect Our Constitution is co-chaired by State Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and State Representative Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon) and is backed by three major business groups in the state including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Restaurant Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business.

Read the full story

Ohio Ballot Board Adopts Ballot Language for Amendment to Increase Threshold for Initiative Petitions

The Ohio Ballot Board has adopted ballot language on a question that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments for a special election this August.

In a 3-2 vote the ballot board has voted to adopt the summary language of Issue 1, the amendment to mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.

Read the full story

Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee to Consider Supreme Court Endorsements and Resolution to Protect State Constitution

The Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday to consider endorsements for the three Ohio Supreme Court seats up for grabs in 2024, as well as a resolution to support the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment.

In the Ohio Supreme Court, Democratic Justices Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart are up for re-election and Republican Justice Joe Deters must run for retention in 2024 and re-election in 2026. It will give Republicans an opportunity to hold 6 of 7 seats in the high court. Currently, the GOP has a 4-3 majority in the state Supreme Court.

Read the full story

Ohio Governor DeWine Calls on Lawmakers to Consider Strengthening ‘Heartbeat Law’ Ahead of Potential Vote on Abortion Amendment

In advance of a potential November referendum on an proposed constitutional amendment aiming to legalize abortion throughout the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he wants the General Assembly to consider strengthening Ohio’s “heartbeat law.”

According to DeWine, to avoid passage of the abortion amendment, Ohio needs to revisit the heartbeat law and ensure that Ohio has sustainable legislation that voters will not overturn at the polls.

Read the full story

Ohio GOP Chairman Triantafilou Endorses Legislation to Protect Ohio’s Constitution

Alex Triantafilou, the newly elected head of the Ohio Republican Party, endorsed legislation on Thursday that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

There are currently two pieces of legislation that Republican lawmakers have introduced this session to protect the state Constitution from out-of-state special interest groups.

Read the full story

Ohio GOP Chairman Discusses Vision for State to Bring ‘Strong Conservative’ Leaders to Washington

Alex Triantafilou, the newly elected head of the Ohio Republican Party, stopped in Hillsboro for the Highland County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on Wednesday to discuss his positive vision for the Ohio Republican Party moving forwards.

According to Triantafilou, one of his primary focuses for the party is removing U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and President Joe Biden from office.

Read the full story

Ohio GOP Chairman Triantafilou Rallies Allen County Republicans with New Party Vision

Alex Triantafilou, the newly elected head of the Ohio Republican Party, stopped in Lima for the Allen County Republican Party’s monthly luncheon to discuss his vision of what the party can anticipate this year.

According to Triantafilou, they will strive to keep Ohio a “red” state and will concentrate on removing U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and President Joe Biden from office.

Read the full story

Ohio GOP Chairman Triantafilou Releases Statement Prior to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Alex Triantafilou, the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, made a statement on Tuesday prior to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Triantafilou stated in a news release that “anything short of an apology during tonight’s State of the Union will be unacceptable to working Ohio families.”

At nine o’clock Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, will give the annual address before a joint session of Congress.

Read the full story

Former Judge Russell Mock Elected Hamilton County GOP Chair

The Hamilton County Republican Party elected former Judge Russell Mock as its new chairman early on Thursday evening.

Green Township Trustee Triffon Callos, who has served as the temporary party chair for the previous month, said that Mock defeated former state representative Tom Brinkman at a closed-door meeting of the county party’s central committee at Clovernook County Club by a vote of 125 to 66.

Read the full story

Hamilton County Republican Party Names Melissa Powers as Next County Prosecutor

Melissa Powers, a former juvenile court judge, has been chosen by the Hamilton County Republican Party to serve as the county’s next prosecutor.

The Hamilton County Republican Party’s central committee met late Thursday afternoon at Clovernook Country Club in North College Hill to choose Joe Deters’ successor after his appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court. Powers, who did not seek re-election to the juvenile court bench last year, received a resounding majority of the vote.

Read the full story

Hamilton County GOP to Fill Vacant Prosecutor Seat

Now that Governor Mike DeWine appointed Republican Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters to fill a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court (OSC), his former long-time position as prosecutor will become vacant on January 7th, 2023, when he is sworn into the OSC.

Throughout his tenure, Deters has gained a reputation in a crucial office for being a “tough on crime” prosecutor, believing in strict punishments for violent crime, including the death penalty, bail reform boundaries, and policing in general.

Read the full story

Gov. DeWine Appoints Hamilton County Prosecutor to Ohio Supreme Court

Governor Mike DeWine has appointed Republican Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters to fill a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Deters will fill the seat that Justice Sharon Kennedy is vacating at the end of the year to replace Maureen O’Connor as Chief Justice. O’Connor is stepping down at the end of the year due to Ohio’s age limit for judges. One may not run for a seat on any Ohio court if one is more than 70 years of age. This limit often forces the retirement of long-time justices.

Read the full story

Alex Triantafilou Announces Bid for Chairman of Ohio Republican Party

Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman, Alex Triantafilou, officially announced his candidacy for Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party following the announcement that current Chairman, Bob Paduchik will not be seeking another term.

“Our party faces a huge challenge in 2024. Defeating Sherrod Brown and Joe Biden will require a unified and organized state party. I look forward to traveling throughout Ohio to share my vision for our party with Republican leaders in every corner of Ohio,” Triantafilou said on social media.

Read the full story