Common Cause Ohio

Join us on Thurs, August 7 at 6pm EDT for a webinar about the threats of an Article V Convention of States and hear what we can do to push back.
Panelists:
Common Cause's Viki Harrison
Ohio Environmental Council's Franklin Davis
Georgetown University Professor David Super
RSVP: bit.ly/OhioArticleV

Supreme Court tees up Louisiana redistricting case that could undercut Voting Rights Act | CNN Politics The Supreme Court signaled Friday that it will take a broader look at a high-profile redistricting fight over Louisiana’s congressional map, subtly expanding the scope of an appeal that could weaken t...

The Supreme Court signaled Friday that it will take a broader look at a high-profile redistricting fight over Louisiana’s congressional map, subtly expanding the scope of an appeal that could weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act.
www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/p...

Ohio's energy companies want to rate hikes as testimony accuses PUCO of hiding information Ohio energy companies want a round of rate hikes as testimony accuses PUCO of withholding information

Ohio's energy companies want to rate hikes as testimony accuses PUCO of hiding information
"The utilities really have an inordinate amount of power, despite the fact that the power should really rest in the hands of the people"
by Morgan Trau
www.news5cleveland.com/news/politic...

JD Vance shaded California for gerrymandering when Ohio has giant plank it its eye | Opinion JD Vance complaint a about California ring hollow considering the mess in his home state.

JD Vance shaded California for gerrymandering when Ohio has giant plank in its eye
"If Vice President Vance truly believes in electoral integrity, then he should call out gerrymandering everywhere, especially where it’s benefiting his own party."
by Erick Bellomy
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...

Join us Thursday, August 7 at 6pm EDT for a webinar about the threats of an Article V Convention of States and hear what we can do to push back
Panelists:
Common Cause's Viki Harrison
Ohio Environmental Council's Franklin Davis
Georgetown University Professor David Super
RSVP: bit.ly/OhioArticleV

Congressional redistricting on the Ohio legislature's fall docket • Ohio Capital Journal The congressional map that establishes voting districts for Ohio’s U.S. House representatives must be redrawn before the end of the year. State lawmakers’ first deadline is approaching in September, a...

The congressional map that establishes voting districts for Ohio’s U.S. House representatives must be redrawn before the end of the year. State lawmakers’ first deadline is approaching in September, and maps must be in place for 2026 primary elections.
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/08/01/c...

‘Good government’ group urges blue states to back away from a redistricting arms race • Ohio Capital Journal Democrats should resist the temptation to conduct their own mid-decade redistricting in response to Republicans in Texas moving to redraw U.S. House lines before the 2026 elections, officials with the...

Common Cause urges blue states to back away from redistricting arms race
“This is ultimately about fair representation for communities, getting to have a say when decisions are made about whether they can have fair representation."
-Dan Vicuna, @commoncause.org
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/30/r...

Join us on Thursday, August 7 at 6pm EDT for a webinar about Article V and the US Constitution!
Panelists:
Common Cause's Viki Harrison
Ohio Environmental Council's Franklin Davis
Georgetown University Professor David Super
RSVP: bit.ly/OhioArticleV

📜 You're invited! Join us virtually on Thurs, Aug 7 @ 6PM to hear from experts and fully unpack the threats of an Article V Convention of States and hear what we can do in Ohio to push back.
📲 Register today! bit.ly/OhioArticleV

Court rejects appeal for Larry Householder, Matt Borges The Sixth Circuit won’t revisit the bribery convictions of ex-Ohio Speaker Larry Householder and Matt Borges in the $60M FirstEnergy scandal.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The full Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has declined to revisit the racketeering convictions of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and ex-Ohio GOP Chair Matt Borges.

The court rejected their requests for a new hearing on Friday.
abc6onyourside.com/news/local/o...

📜 You're invited! Join us virtually on Thurs, Aug 7 @ 6PM to hear from experts and fully unpack the threats of an Article V Convention of States and hear what we can do in Ohio to push back.
📲 Register today! bit.ly/OhioArticleV

Despite Trump pardon, Cincinnati Dem pushes appeal that could have major ramifications Cincinnati Democrat PG Sittenfeld's case, if accepted, could end up redrawing federal standards for political corruption and potentially freeing imprisoned ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

Cincinnati Democrat PG Sittenfeld's case, if accepted, could end up redrawing federal standards for political corruption and potentially freeing imprisoned ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.
by Jeremy Pelzer
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/07...

Search for fair and accurate district maps continues to stall Friday Editorial 7-25-25

Ogden Newspaper Editorial
Are there enough lawmakers willing to fulfill their responsibility to draw fair & accurate district maps in service to their constituents
It is a shame that, at least before the process gets under way, the answer seems to be “no”
thecourier.com/news/611254/...

Supreme Court keeps a pause for now on a ruling that weakens the Voting Rights Act The Supreme Court has extended a pause, for now, on a lower court ruling that struck down a key tool for protecting minority voters under the Voting Rights Act in seven states.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday extended a pause, for now, on a controversial lower court ruling that struck down one of the remaining ways of enforcing protections against racial discrimination under federal Voting Rights Act in seven mainly Midwestern states.
www.ideastream.org/npr-news/202...

Top-down reform to fix PUCO’s pro-utility slant can wait no longer: editorial today, PUCO is itself the problem, with growing evidence - much of it, but not all, arising from the corruption that 2019’s House Bill 6 exposed - that the commission’s structure, leadership, operatio...

Plain Dealer Editorial
Top-down reform to fix PUCO’s pro-utility slant can wait no longer
PUCO is itself the problem, with growing evidence that the commission’s structure, leadership, operations and staff have fallen prey to what is known as “regulatory capture"
www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025...

Appeals court finds Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship unconstitutional, upholds block A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision that blocked its enforcement nationwid...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s order seeking to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision that blocked its enforcement nationwide.
apnews.com/article/immi...

Judges review Ohio ban on foreign donations to ballot issues Can green card holders donate to Ohio issue campaigns? It's a question that a panel of federal appeals court judges will decide.

A federal appeals court will decide whether Ohio's ban on non-citizen donations to ballot issue campaigns is constitutional.
“The law is so broad that no one knows how to comply"
by Jessie Balmert
www.timesreporter.com/story/news/p...

5 years after Ohio's $60M bribery scandal, critics say more could be done to prevent a repeat It has been five years since a $60 million bribery scheme funded by FirstEnergy Corp. came to light in Ohio with the stunning arrests ofa powerful Republican state lawmaker and four associates in July...

Five years after $60 million bribery scheme funded by FirstEnergy Corp. came to light in Ohio, resulting prosecutions, lawsuits, penalties & legislation haven’t led to enough change and accountability to prevent similar deals in future
by Julie Carr Smyth
apnews.com/article/brib...

Gerrymandering will only end once our leaders run the government into a wall | Letters In today's letters: The gerrymandering never ends. Practice what you preach, Sen. Husted. A Musk-led third party? No thanks.

Letter to Editor
Will this process of dividing up congressional districts in an unfair & unbalanced manner ever end?
We get bad ideas favoring those w/influence & money while programs serving those in real need are reduced or eliminated

Stephen Torsell, Grove City
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...

Republican politicians looking to gerrymander Ohio and Texas to protect U.S. House majority • Ohio Capital Journal Ohio and Texas could do it. Both states could steal enough congressional seats with new gerrymandered maps for voting districts to fortify the Republican majority in the U.S. House next year, effectiv...

Commentary
Republican politicians looking to gerrymander Ohio and Texas to protect U.S. House majority
Trump won Ohio with 55% of the vote, but Republican politicians want to gerrymander 80% of the state’s U.S. House districts for themselves.
by Marilou Johanek
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/22/r...

Local election officials worry about federal cuts to security, survey shows • Ohio Capital Journal Local election officials across the country fear the loss of federal support for election security, according to a new survey showing 60% of local election officials expressing concern. This comes as ...

Local election officials worry about federal cuts to security, survey shows
The concern comes as the Trump administration has curtailed election cybersecurity work.
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/22/l...

On Lake Erie, Ohio agencies are bracing for gutted clean water funds Each year for more than four decades, elected officials and government workers in Ohio have descended onto the water via charter boats for a half-day of fishing.

The final version of the two-year state budget gutted funding to H2Ohio, the multi-agency clean water initiative Gov. Mike DeWine established in 2019.
Across agencies, the cuts account for about 40% of H2Ohio funds.
by Sarah Donaldson
www.ideastream.org/2025-07-18/o...

Ohio's senators need more than canned responses | Letters In today's letters: They're not listening. Ohio leaders support advancing cancer detection. When will our representatives speak up?

Letter to the Editor
Every one of my friends who has written to our senators — on a variety of important issues — has received the exact same canned response. They are simply not listening.

Lenore Engstrom, Worthington
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...

Ohio's about to redraw congressional districts. Here's what to know Ohio is getting started on redrawing the maps that outline its congressional districts. Here's what to know about the process.

What to know about the upcoming process to redraw Ohio’s congressional districts
Ohio has to approve the new congressional map by Nov. 30 to use in the 2026 elections.
by Andrew Tobias
signalcleveland.org/ohio-resdist...

Five years after the first arrests in the House Bill 6 scandal, what is still to come? The biggest public corruption case in state history erupted into view in July 2020 with high profile arrests. The case still isn't finished.

Five years after the first arrests in the House Bill 6 scandal, what is still to come?
Federal and state cases continue against former FirstEnergy executives, while civil lawsuits are pending.
by Laura A. Bischoff
www.dispatch.com/story/news/s...

Years after HB6 scandal, PUCO staff still push outside auditors to show favor to utilities In several cases, PUCO staff or utility companies have sought to remove or soften draft language from independent audits that's unfavorable to utilities.

Years after HB6 scandal, PUCO staff still push outside auditors to show favor to utilities
In several cases, PUCO staff or utility companies have sought to remove or soften draft language from independent audits that's unfavorable to utilities.
by Jeremy Pelzer
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/07...

'Devastating impacts': Cincinnati Public Radio CEO emails staff amid federal funding cuts Millions of dollars of funding for WCET, WVXU and other stations are at risk following a Congressional move toward slashing public broadcasting funds.

'Devastating impacts': Cincinnati Public Radio CEO emails staff amid federal funding cuts
Federal funding comprised 5% of Cincinnati Public Radio's budget, 10% of Cleveland-based Ideastream Public Media's budget and 13% of Columbus-based WOSU's budget.
www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2...

In win for Trump, House narrowly OKs effort to claw back $9B from budget -- including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID Murkowski said on Wednesday that she still opposes the bill after voting on Tuesday against advancing it forward.

In win for Trump, House narrowly OKs effort to claw back $9B from budget -- including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID
The final vote was 216-213.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen...

Trump’s DOJ wants states to turn over voter lists, election info • Ohio Capital Journal The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the voter registration lists of several states — representing data on millions of Americans — and other election information ahead of the 2026 midterms, raisi...

The U.S. Dept of Justice is seeking voter registration lists of several states — representing data on millions of Americans — and other election information ahead of 2026 midterms, raising fears about how the Trump administration plans to use the information.
ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/trump...

TODAY!
Join us on for Good Trouble Lives On at the Second Baptist Church in Columbus on Thursday, July 17 at 4:30pm.
Register HERE:
www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...
#goodtrouble #goodtroubleliveson #JohnLewis #ourcommoncause