Friday, July 20, 2012
Our Republican Insiders say last year's fight over collective bargaining rights could hurt the party's chances at winning Ohio's electoral votes in this November's presidential election.
Will the Republican-led effort to limit collective bargaining rights for government workers in Ohio hurt the GOP's chances in this year's presidential election? More than half of the Republican insiders surveyed by Patch say it's too soon to tell or that they didn't know. But 14 out of 50 of those surveyed think the Senate Bill 5 / Issue 2 effort, led by Republican Gov. John Kasich, will hurt the GOP's chances in Ohio. Only four of 50 responders believe the fight will help the Republicans. Issue 2's effect is also seen in what Ohioans our Republican insiders would like to see as a running mate to Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Only one said they wanted Kasich, perhaps the politician most damaged by the Issue 2 ballot defeat, to be vice …
Sunday, January 1, 2012
What do you think was the top story from all 17 of Ohio's Patch sites in 2011? Vote now!
If you aren't seeing all 17 sides, try opening the story in another browser. Patch is aware of the problem of only a few slides showing up. From the tech department: "This issue occurs with older browsers and when users are not logged in. We have determined that this also occurs with Chrome as well."
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Opponents of Senate Bill 5 outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message.
In retrospect, Issue 2 never stood a chance. Opponents outmatched supporters in money, motivation and message. It's no surprise they had more votes, too. On Tuesday, about 60 percent of Ohio voters rejected Issue 2, Gov. John Kasich's plan to severely restrict bargaining rights for Ohio's unionized government workers. And the resounding defeat wasn't delieved with scant turnout during a boring off-year election. Turnout was 46 percent, the highest for an off-year race since 1991. The union-backed opponents were too strong, and cared too much. They viewed the fight to end Senate Bill 5 as a back-against-the-wall fight, and they campaigned that way. Opponents trotted out teachers and firemen and said the law would ruin important government …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Public workers celebrate Issue 2 victory at Cleveland rally.
Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 2 on Tuesday, delivering a haymaker to Republican-led efforts to restrict bargaining rights for government workers and damaging the fortunes of Gov. John Kasich. The lead was so great that We Are Ohio claimed victory just after 9 p.m. Tuesday with only a fraction of the state's precincts reporting. Kasich conceded the race shortly afterward. About 61 percent of voters, or nearly 2.2 million, rejected the law known as Senate Bill 5, according to unofficial results. About 39 percent, or about 1.4 million, voted for the law. Results show Issue 2 lost in 82 of Ohio's 88 counties. At a victory party in Cleveland, public workers cheered loudly and chanted "We won!" as union leaders, including American …
Voters flocked to the polls in greater numbers than in other off-year elections
Updated at 9:45 p.m. Northeast Ohio elections officials say the unofficial, final voter turnout is higher than expected. With 100 percent of the vote counted in Lake County, for example, the voter turnout totaled 52 percent, according to final, unofficial results. Earlier in the day, Lake County Board of Elections Director Janet F. Clair said voter turnout was very steady and expected a voter turnout of 35 percent. Traditionally, in an odd year election, voter turnout is about 18 percent to 24 percent. Nevertheless, Scott E. Daisher, deputy director of the Lake County Board of Elections, would not call it a record high voter turnout but said it is a "larger than usual off year election." "It's been a very large (turnout) and I know a …
Join us at noon on Election Day for live updates and live chat on Issue 2, the hotly contested measure that if approved would dramatically curtail the power of public employees' unions in Ohio.
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
Check out the best of our user-submitted blogs this week.
Hey, remember the time the blog you submitted on Patch got recommended on Facebook by 36 readers and started a civil dialogue in the comment thread? You don’t? You’ve never blogged on Patch? Oh. Well, this is awkward. Anyone can apply to blog on Patch, and as long as it’s appropriate, we’ll throw it up on the web. Check out the best of this week’s blogs.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Gov. John Kasich visited Independence to tout the benefits of Issue 2 while opponents chanted and protested outside. Ohio voters will decide on Issue 2 on Nov. 8.
Gov. John Kasich came to the Cleveland area Thursday to rally a crowd of supporters days away from a crucial vote on Issue 2. Kasich is on a tour around the state to rally support for Issue 2, the ballot name for Senate Bill 5, the law that would restrict collective bargaining for public sector unions. Ohio voters will decide the fate of Issue 2 on Nov. 8. Speaking at a Building a Better Ohio event in Independence, Kasich linked the reforms in Issue 2 with the his larger goal of making Ohio more business friendly by removing unnecessary regulations and keeping taxes low. Kasich argued that Issue 2 will help local governments "get their act together" because it gives local officials "the tools they need" to control costs. "You need to tell …
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Gov. John Kasich is expected to attend the Nov. 3 rally being organized by the Southeast Republican Club.
Gov. John Kasich is expected to attend a Nov. 3 rally in Independence to support Issue 2, the governor's plan to reform collective bargaining for public workers. The rally, organized by Pro-Issue 2 group Building a Better Ohio, is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the Independence Civic Center. Issue 2 is by far the biggest issue facing Ohio voters on Nov. 8. Debate over the collective-bargaining law also known as Senate Bill 5 has engulfed Kasich's first year in office and received national attention. In the run-up to the vote, Kasich has been attending rallies to talk about Issue 2. Supporters of the bill argue that it will help governments better control costs, therefore saving jobs and keeping taxes down. But opponents believe Senate Bill 5 is…
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Check out our coverage on the topic and then tell us where you stand in our poll.
Where do you stand? Do you think Issue 2 is necessary to keep costs in check? Or do you think it would take away important rights from workers? There has been plenty of conversation on Patch about Issue 2, from the comments to a few blogs: one with reasons for it and one with some thoughts from a former public employee. And Patch has followed the issue closely, from the start of the campaign to the most recent polls. For a look at all of the Issue 2 coverage, check out our topics page. Here’s a quick overview of the big points in Senate bill 5, the bill that will either be repealed or go into effect after Nov. 8. So, we want to know – if the election was today, how would you vote on Issue 2? Cast your ballot in our unscientific poll. And …
Adam C. Miller
9:35 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
They've done a good job... more ›