Ohio

Why Arnold Is In Ohio

Joe Mathews — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:32:00 -0400

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Ohio today, campaigning for and with John McCain. People have been asking me: why? It's a good question. The governor has nice things to say about Obama (even suggesting he might work for a President Obama someday), disagrees with McCain and the national Republican party on issues, and likes to associate himself with winners, not losers.

The answer boils down to two words: habit and loyalty. The governor of California is a creature of habit. In 1988 and 2004, Schwarzenegger campaigned in Columbus, Ohio -- where he has business interests, including a share in a suburban shopping mall and an annual fitness convention and bodybuilding tournament known as The Arnold -- on the Friday before election day. This year, he goes again to central Ohio the Friday before election.

But the other motivating factor is loyalty. Schwarzenegger doesn't get much credit for being loyal; he's generally thought of by people in the political sphere as more than a little disloyal. But in his personal relationships, he's remarkably loyal. His friends today were his friends 20 years ago. And McCain has been very loyal to him. The weekend before the special election in 2005 ,when it was clear to everyone (except perhaps the hyper-optimistic Schwarzenegger) that his initiatives were going to lose, McCain flew to California and rode on Schwarzenegger's campaign bus through the Inland Empire. McCain backed Schwarzenegger when the governor was in political trouble. Today, Arnold returns the favor.

Signature Turn In For Ohio PayDay Loan Referendum

Joe Mathews — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:22:00 -0400

The payday loan industry in Ohio is seeking a referendum on a new law regulating the industry. A key feature of the law is a 28 percent limit on the interest rates they can charge their borrowers. (Under current practice, rates can be as high as 391 percent). The industry turned in referendum signatures Sunday afternoon. If enough prove to be valid (and there appears to be quite a cushion, 421,000 turned in to make a standard of 241,000), the measure will be on the November ballot.

Ohio Gov. Opposes Union Paid Sick Leave Measure

Joe Mathews — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:06:00 -0400

Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, a Democrat, has come out against a ballot initiative that would require Ohio businesses to offer seven paid sick days a year to employees who work 30 hours a week. This is a big blow to the measure, which is backed by SEIU. And it complicates any effort by Barack Obama to organize around the issue in order to boost turnout in a big swing state this fall.

How Ohio Referendum Law Could Permit AG To 'Game' System

Joe Mathews — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:32:00 -0400

Ohio has one of the tighest deadlines for collecting signatures on an initiative or referendum petition -- 90 days. But there's a problem. Each measure requires the attorney general to issue a summary. But there's no legal requirement on the attorney general to produce such summaries in a timely manner. An AG could delay and delay -- running out the 90-day clock for collecting signatures. In an editorial, The Cleveland Plain-Dealer says this is wrong.

Ohio PayDay Lenders May Collect Sigs; Confusion Promised

Joe Mathews — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:58:00 -0400

Payday lenders in Ohio, who want to reverse a new state law regulating imposing a 28 percent limit on the interest they may charge, have finally received the go-ahead to collect signatures on a referendum. But the state attorney general is warning that if the referendum should pass, discrepancies between the petition and the law could cause legal confusion. In fact, it appears that if the payday measure passes, two different numerical limits on the interest in such loans would be enshrined in state law.

Way to Go Ohio!

Reid Cramer — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:00:00 -0400

One unfortunate growth industry in recent years has been the rise of alternative financial institutions. These are the payday lenders, auto title companies, and check cashers who offer access to cash to virtually anyone that walks through their doors but on horrific terms. I mean really bad.

Payday lenders often charge about $15 for every $100 borrowed on a two-week loan. This would be equivalent to an annual interest rate is approaches 400%. It is an outlandish deal that many people take because they feel like they dont have other options. The problem is that many people in America don't have basic bank accounts, so they conduct their everyday financial transactions with these stores just move their money around. Our colleagues at the Center for Responsible Lending have been committed to ending these abusive practices and are working with people all across the country to change the state laws that govern these transactions. The need for the service is real but the terms are criminal. There ought to be a law...

But the great news out of Ohio is pretty soon it looks like there will be! Just this week, a bill cleared both houses of the state legislature which will put a 28% cap on payday loans. This cap is effectively a ban because it blows up the business model of these firms. Governor Strickland is expected to sign the bill and Cash America has already announced plans to close its 139 stores. Way to go Ohio!

On the Street: A Comprehensive Report

Joe Mathews — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:44:00 -0400

UPDATED APRIL 4 After two nights of contacting gatherers and reading initiatives from all over the country (AND SOME EXCELLENT CORRECTIONS ON ARKANSAS AND MICHIGAN FROM Ballotpedia), here's my report on what's "on the street" and circulating in this great democratic land of ours. Please let me know if you think I'm missing important measures. For a more progressive take and focus, you can look at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center's issues map.

THE GOLDEN STATE: California leads the way, with 52 measures circulating as of April 2 (and more to come, almost certainly). The whole list is here. "We're drowning," the owner of one signature gathering firm told me Thursday. About a dozen seem to have funding to get on signature gatherers' clipboards. Two new initiatives (one that would remove a prohibition on discrimination based on sexual orientation in schools, another a tobacco tax hike to pay for children's health insurance) were titled and approved for circulation Tuesday. They join three new measures -- one banning abortion, one banning stem cell research and the other banning cloning -- that also were recently approved for circulation, though such socially conservative measures typically have trouble attracting the money to qualify for the ballot in California.

ARIZONA wins the award for most circulating initiatives per capita, with 37 measures, 19 of them constitutional amendments and 18 initiative statutes. Reading the list, one gets the impression that Arizonans are so angry that they may leave the country, raising the question of whether John McCain will be eligible to be president. There are measures to maintain initiative rights (which legislators have talked about limiting), roll back taxes (the sponsors have names like Arizona Tax Revolt and Prop 13 Arizona). The blockbuster democracy industry is closely watching one initiative statute that would allow petitions to be circulated via the Internet; industry types tend to like the idea, in that it would control costs, but signature gatherers worry about being cut out of the street action. My personal favorite: an initiative that would require two witnesses before a crime might be prosecuted. There's also an initiative, sponsored by a group calling itself Arizona Tea Party, that would require someone who testifies falsely against another person in court to receive the same punishment that the accused would have received. And you wonder why they called it the Wild West.

In OREGON, 40 measures are listed as formally approved to circulate for the 2008 ballot, but the deadlines and energy for most of those have long passed. The most important measure currently on the street, according to signature gatherers is naturally an initiative that protects the rights of signature gatherers, by limiting the ability of the state to regulate them. (Oregon has been one of a handful of states to try to limit paid signature-gathering). The initiative also would permit ballot initiatives to be considered at primary elections as well as at general elections. Among the dozen or so measures currently on gatherers' clipboards in the Beaver State are initiatives that would create a renewable energy commission, alter the medical marijuana laws, establish a non-partisan or open primary, and prohibits legislators from receiving public pensions.

WASHINGTON is having a big year, with 43 measures filed, numbered and titled for circulation. (Two were approved for circulation and withdrawn; two more have been filed but are not ready for circulation). With some of those filings being different versions of the same measure, signature gatherers say they've seen as many as 18 petitions on clipboards there. The assisted suicide measure sponsored by former Gov. Booth Gardner is getting the most attention. But there are multiple measures dealing with traffic, elections, and taxes. Here's the full list. Anything new and different? How about an initiative that would set aside public funds to pay for embryo transfers as an alternative to abortion? Or an initiative that would make it a crime to lie about war? Those two initiatives have the same author, a frequent initiative filer and Tacoma CAT scan technician named David Henshaw. There's also a measure that would prevent employers from firing cocktail waitresses who refuse to serve alcohol to pregnant women.

NEVADA has 8 measures currently circulating officially, but the two attempts to raise taxes on gaming have been dropped, as has an education initiative.

MISSOURI has 20 measures approved for circulation, including Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action measure and initiatives on renewable energy, a union-backed measure on the home health care workforce, an initiative to expand eligibility for children's health insurance, and another of the so-called "paycheck protection" measures which require employees to give their written permission before money from their paycheck is used for political purposes.

ARKANSAS (updated April 4): Initiatives to institute a state lottery and ban adoption by same-sex couples are circulating. Thanks again to Ballotpedia.

MICHIGAN (updated April 4) has nine measures currently circulating, including legalization of marijuana use and cultivation on private property, a universal health care plan, an individual education accounts for children proposal, two tax measures, and two part-time legislature plans.

COLORADO: 82 measures (updated 97) were filed for the 07-08 cycle, but only five are currently circulating. Signatures on the Ward Connerly measure were turned in last month. Among the few circulating are: a payroll deduction measure, restrictions on campaign contributions by government contractors, and judicial term limits. Under the category of comedy, initiatives to impeach former President Clinton are making their way through the process. Can you impeach a former president?

FLORIDA: 52 measures remain officially active, but signature gatherers say the street is dry in Florida. There likely will be only two measures on the November ballot -- one that would give the legislature power to regulate the land ownership of undocumented immigrants, and another prohibiting gay marriage.

ALASKA: In the only state where the lieutenant governor is in charge of initiatives, it's already late in the signature gathering season. (Alaskans favor summer elections--the next is in August -- because it's dark half the year). Here's a list of measures; the viables ones -- clean water, clean government, public finance -- have already submitted petitions. Readers of this blog know all about the measure to stop wolves from being shot from the air.

MAINE: 10 measures have been circulating (here's the list), though a newspaper editor there tells me that only a handful are on the street. One measure would allow a casino in Oxford County, another would make the real estate Multiple Listing Service a public document.

IDAHO: Yes, they've got wolves, and an initiative that calls for their removal. It's one of three initiatives circulating. The others would make it easier to sue judges and others for their official duties, and would ban the building of new coal-fired and nuclear plants.

MONTANA: Three measures are out there. One is a property tax limitation, a constitutional amendment Another is a "personhood" measure, a constituional amendment -- and part of a new class of anti-abortion, anti-stem cell measures that seeks to define anything from a fertilized embryo on up as a human being. The third is an initiative statute to ease eligibility for a children's health insurance program.

NORTH DAKOTA: Six measures are pending, though the measures regulating hunting and school superintendents (wild game of another kind) seem to be the ones headed to the ballot.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Only one measure, a referendum of legislation relating to the eminent domain powers of railroads, is still circulating. Six measures -- almost all having to do with political reform -- already have made the 2008 ballot.

OHIO: Has a casino measure circulating, according to gatherers. Ballotpedia also lists a sick leave measure in circulation. The Ohio Ballot Board lists four measures that it has considered.

NEBRASKA: There have been four filings: the Connerly affirmative action ban, two measures that involve municipal annexations, and a telecom initiative.

QUIET ON THE STREETS (as far as I can determine) in New Mexico (which has the referendum but not the initiative), Illinois, Massachusetts (where the deadline was last November for submitting signatures on initiatives in the two-part process that gives the legislature a chance to weigh in first), Mississippi, Utah (where 2007 was the big referendum year), Wyoming (where the filing deadline came and went in February), and Oklahoma (where signatures on the anti-affirmative action initiative were turned in late last year).