On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Ohioans, like the rest of the country, cast ballots in the 2022 General Election. Ohioans voted on all statewide constitutional offices, one U.S. Senate seat, and several important statewide and local ballot issues. Early turnout for the 2022 General Election was greater than the previous statewide 2018 general ...
Ohio held the state’s second Primary Election on August 2, 2022, featuring partisan primaries for State House and Senate candidates and also central committee seats for state political parties. As expected, turnout was low at only 7.93 percent according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s unofficial tallies.
The Ohio General Assembly finished the first half of 2022 with a rush of lawmaking, appropriating billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, and making policy changes in a range of subjects.
The Ohio Elections Commission recently issued an advisory opinion addressing whether a foreign national can contribute to a ballot issue political action committee (PAC) in Ohio.
After failing to meet the Ohio Supreme Court’s ordered deadline for submitting House and Senate district maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed its third version of district boundaries by a 4-3 vote on February 24, 2022. Auditor of State Keith Faber (R) joined the commission’s two Democratic members opposing the maps.
If you are thinking about using Venmo to accept campaign donations, you now have guidance from the Ohio Elections Commission to permissibly do so.
On February 7, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court invalidated the state House and Senate district boundaries that were recently adopted by the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The majority, in a per curiam decision, ruled that the commission’s revised maps still favored Republican candidates instead of adhering to the proportionality favored by ...
While most were watching the Bengals defeat the Titans in the NFL playoffs on January 22, 2022, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted new state House and Senate district boundaries. The commission faced a midnight deadline to comply with the Ohio Supreme Court’s order. The party line vote, 5-2, establishes the districts for four years. A ...
On January 14, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court invalidated the state’s newly redrawn congressional districts.
On January 12, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court, by a vote of 4-3, found the newly drawn state House and Senate district maps did not comply with Ohio’s Constitution, specifically Article XI, Section 6, which states that no plan shall be drawn primarily to favor a political party.
Election day 2021 featured two special congressional elections, as well as mayoral races in several large cities, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. City councils, judicial seats and ballot issues were also decided.
On September 14, 2021, the Ohio Supreme Court found that the Trumbull County Board of Elections erred in rejecting a part-petition submitted by Mark Ferrara to appear on the ballot as a candidate for township trustee.
Ohioans in the 11th and 15th congressional districts participated in special primary elections for two congressional vacancies on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.
Shana M. Broussard, Sean J. Cooksey and Allen Dickerson were sworn in as members of the Federal Election Commission, Friday, December 18, after having been nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate on December 9. On Tuesday, December 22, Broussard was elected by the Commission to serve as Chair, while Dickerson was elected as Vice ...
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, Ohioans, like the rest of the country, cast ballots in the 2020 general election.
The Franklin County Board of Elections announced that 49,669 voters in the county received the wrong absentee ballots.
Ohio’s primary election cycle concluded on April 28, 2020. Here are election results for the U.S. President, U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio Supreme Court, and key Ohio Senate and Ohio House races.
During Governor DeWine’s March 16, 2020, COVID-19 press briefing, Ohio officials announced the difficult decision to postpone the state’s Primary Election, scheduled for March 17, to June 2, 2020.
The Ohio Secretary of State is taking coronavirus (COVID-19) related precautions for the upcoming March 17 primary election.
A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction sought by Project Veritas “challenging Ohio’s prohibition against individuals going undercover on political campaigns,” The Columbus Dispatch reports.
On October 4, 2019, the Ohio Supreme Court denied the writ of mandamus by L. Stephen Combs to require the Greene County Board of Elections to count the signatures on Combs’ petition and certify his name for the November 5, 2019, election.
On September 16, 2019, the Ohio Supreme Court found that the Trumbull County Board of Elections abused its discretion when it removed Randy Law from the ballot as an independent candidate for Mayor of Warren and ordered the board to recertify Law’s candidacy to the November ballot.
An investigation into $120,000 missing from the campaign account of U.S. Representative Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) highlights a loophole in the federal campaign finance system, according to a recent editorial in The Toledo Blade.
On August 14, 2019, the Ohio Supreme Court unanimously struck down the use of secret ballots during a public meeting in its decision in State ex rel. More Bratenahl v. Bratenahl.
In issuing its 5-4 opinion in Rucho et al. v. Common Cause et al., the Supreme Court has effectively withdrawn from partisan conflicts on gerrymandering playing out across the U.S.
In an effort to show its dedication to diversity, the city of Sandusky, Ohio, will no longer recognize Columbus Day as a paid holiday.
Protected Voices, an FBI initiative established to prevent cyber influence targeting U.S. elections, recently released informational videos designed to educate and raise awareness among political campaigns.
After what has been a long-run battle in the courtroom, three federal judges held that North Carolina’s current division of congressional districts unconstitutionally favors Republican candidates.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Ohio voter registration policy that permits the State to remove eligible but infrequent voters from registration rolls if they have not returned a postcard confirming that they have not moved after failing to vote for two years and have not voted in any election for an additional four years.
PACs, candidates and political parties that plan to make contributions to candidates running for the 12th Congressional District should be reminded of additional reporting requirements associated with this special election.
Despite social media marketing’s growing relevance to election outcomes, there are still no laws governing social media ad sales for political candidates.
The six-member Federal Elections Commission (FEC) will soon be down to just four with Commissioner Lee Goodman’s announced resignation, effective February 16, 2018.
Local citizen group Everyday People for Positive Change has collected enough signatures to put a proposed charter amendment on the May 2018 ballot.
On November 1, 2017, Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) introduced House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR 5) to increase the number of required signatures needed to place initiated statutes and constitutional amendments on the ballot.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office recently issued guidance and announced deadlines related to the 2018 Declaration of Filing Day Finances and Permissive Funds Report.
There is no doubt that spending from federal and super PACs in state and local elections continues to increase in Ohio.
The 2018 Ohio election calendar, as issued by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, is now available.
Advertising policies of many social media platforms are under intense scrutiny after alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election using online political ads.
On November 7, 2017, Ohioans voted on two statewide ballot issues, as well as numerous local issues and candidates.
Last week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) released an Advisory Opinion granting permission to include Twitter handles instead of, or in addition to, full names in disclaimer notifications on Twitter.
BlackRock, Inc., a global investment management corporation, could lose $37 million in service fees after discovering one of its executives may have violated political contribution regulations during the 2016 presidential election.
After a nonprofit legal center challenged the constitutionality of a sign ordinance, the Ohio city of Perrysburg decided to stop enforcing it.
President Trump recently announced his nomination of attorney James Trainor to finish the six-year Federal Election Commission (FEC) term of Republican commissioner Matthew Peterson.
It is important for candidates, corporations and PACs to understand the rules governing online political ads from both the state and federal perspectives.
Two Ohio gubernatorial candidates’ use of their personal Twitter accounts to promote their current campaigns is raising legal questions.
Laverne Jones-Gore, an individual interested in running for Cleveland’s next mayor, missed the filing deadline by three minutes, according to elections officials.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari this week in a complex Ohio case challenging Ohio’s voter identification laws.
As of this week, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is down to five sitting commissioners, making the work of the commission even more challenging.
This month marks the seventh anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission court case.
Lots of things went wrong in the case of former Judge Steven Jones Terry, who was convicted on several felony charges, sentenced to over five years in prison and permanently disbarred from the practice of law.
As Inauguration Day draws closer, members of President-elect Trump’s inaugural committee must be aware of two important guidelines that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) uses to govern the presidential transition and inauguration.
On October 31, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a final decision regarding an ongoing challenge against voting laws in Ohio.
Bricker & Eckler has prepared an overview of the highlights from the general election and details on races of particular interest.
Bilal Shehu of New jersey pleaded guilty to funneling $80,000 from overseas into campaign contributions.
With the 2016 election quickly approaching, corporate employers are asking questions about what they and their employees can and cannot do to participate in the electoral process.
As a reminder, early voting in Ohio begins today, October 12. More information regarding early in-person voting, as well as absentee voting, can be found on the Secretary of State website.
Ordering PAC checks? Ohio law requires that your Ohio PAC number be included on contribution checks. Federal law requires that multicandidate status be disclosed in writing with a contribution. Having this information printed on your checks, if applicable, will help you stay in compliance with these laws.
There are no excuses for missing a vote in Ohio. Beginning October 12, early ballots may be cast for the 2016 election. In an attempt to maximize accessibility and participation in the voting process, Ohio Secretary of State John Husted and the county boards of elections have established two methods of casting early ballots — in person or by mail.
Federal law and the laws of many states, including Ohio, specifically prohibit a person from making political contributions in the name of another. Yet many corporations still reimburse employees for political contributions, provide bonuses for political activity, or otherwise communicate that an employee’s salary is intended to be ...
Shortly before polls were to close during the 2016 Ohio primary election, an anonymous caller telephoned the clerk of the U.S. Southern District of Ohio to complain about an accident in the Cincinnati area that might make it difficult for voters to reach the polls.
As Election Day approaches, last minute television and radio ads tend to increase as candidates, political action committees and other entities rush to get their messages out before votes are cast.
Ohio’s “Golden Week,” the six-day period before an election when an individual could both register and vote early on the same day, was eliminated by the Ohio General Assembly in Senate Bill 238 but then promptly challenged in the federal courts. Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the legislation, reversing a lower court ...
John Boehner’s resignation from Congress triggered an unusual special primary and special general election in Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. Now, with the withdrawal of Democrat Corey Foister from the November ballot, the district will see another special election on September 13, 2016.
Once a political party’s national convention is concluded, the primary contribution period is officially ended and presidential candidates can begin raising money toward the general election period. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently issued a reminder to contributors regarding these contribution limits.
Nonprofit organizations that seek to advance the political or social agendas of political candidates must be careful to keep their distance from those candidates.
Expected to once again be a crucial swing state in the 2016 general election, Ohio has already become a heated battleground as Republicans and Democrats stake their claim on Buckeye State voters.
The national conventions are right around the corner, and whether you are headed to Cleveland or Philadelphia, there are some basic rules to remember. Federal election law regulates nominating conventions and impact activity on the convention floor as well as off-site entertainment. Corporations can legally play a big part in ...
In March 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a lower court decision that former U.S. Senator Larry Craig and his campaign committee, Craig for U.S. Senate, unlawfully converted $197,935 in campaign funds to pay for Senator Craig’s personal legal expenses.
On February 11, 2016, a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court decision that upheld Ohio’s system for electing judges. Under Ohio law, state judges are elected through a hybrid system. Candidates are first selected through a partisan primary election in which they are listed on their political party’s ...
With the 2016 races well under way, many candidates, committees, corporations and organizations are stepping up their involvement in the political scene. As campaign activity ramps up, so do political transactions — each election, millions of dollars are at play. The movement of these dollars is patrolled by the Federal Elections Commission ...