The Ohio Scoop is your weekly political fix, filled with the most up-to-date information about Ohio Democrats and everything happening on the campaign trail here in Ohio. We’re here so you can get your political scoop, all in one place.
If you’re new to the list, welcome. You were added because you are one of Ohio Democrats’ best supporters. For those of you who are returning, welcome back.
We need to fill you in on everything that happened this week, so let’s jump right in.
It’s the Final Countdown
Is It Bullsh*t?!
We are one day out from Election Day, and everywhere you look, Ohio Republicans are spreading misinformation about Issue 1.
Here’s the truth:
Issue 1 does not change the parental consent laws already in effect in Ohio. There’s nothing about parent consent in this amendment and independent fact checkers have already said any claims to the contrary are not true.
Issue 1 does not allow abortion “up to the moment of birth.” This is not how abortion works. This is an inflammatory and deceptive claim by anti-abortion extremists meant to distract from their attempts to make Ohioans healthcare decisions for them and ban abortion entirely.
TLDR? Watch this video instead.
Voting YES on Issue One is the defense we have against the extreme politicians who want to make healthcare decisions for you and your family. (BTW, Millionaire Moreno, Millionaire Matt, and Loser LaRose all support an extreme abortion ban.)
Get Out The Vote
We are in the FINAL FOUR DAYS before the November 7th Election and it is all hands on deck to Get Out The Vote.
Direct voter contact is the best way to ensure that someone is going to turn out to vote Yes on Issue 1. Ohio Democrats have made almost 400k calls and knocked almost 300k doors so far.
Please consider joining us for a shift on the doors or phones in these final days. After election day, we promise to give everyone a (short) break before we kick it into gear for 2024.
A quick look at us after November 7th
You can sign up for a canvassing shift using our canvass calendar below.
Can’t join us on the doors? Sign up to make some calls! Ohio Democrats have pledged to make one million phone calls to voters about the November election. View our phonebank calendar and pick a few times to get on the dialer!
Ohio’s Biggest Losers
This week, Millionaire Bernie Moreno filed his official paperwork to appear on the ballot for the GOP primary. The only problem? The Secretary of State is Moreno’s opponent and all around un-trustworthy guy Frank LaRose. Moreno distrusts LaRose so much that he said he doesn’t want LaRose, or any Secretary of State staff that helps out with LaRose’s campaign, anywhere near his campaign filings.
Honestly? We can’t blame Moreno…
LaRose has spent the past six months going above and beyond to mislead Ohioans.
First, LaRose spearheaded August’s Issue 1, an amendment designed to silence Ohioans and benefit special interests – admitting it was “100%” about abortion.
When that failed, LaRose rewrote the ballot language for Issue 1 in November to be intentionally misleading. Recent polls show that LaRose’s language has a measurable impact on support for State Issue 1 when compared to the original ballot language and could be critical to the outcome despite a majority of Ohioans supporting abortion rights.
Then, in the 11th hour, LaRose quietly purged nearly 27,000 Ohio voters after early voting for the November 7th election had already started. This latest purge had originally been scheduled for July 20, but LaRose delayed it to Sept. 27 after the Aug. 8 special election was set. Yet the military and overseas absentee voting process for Nov. 7 started Sept. 22, so the purge happened while that was underway. Why not push the whole matter off until after Nov. 7, Frank?
Imagine if LaRose put the same amount of effort into running the Secretary of State’s office?
ICYMI
Ironton Tribune: Brown welcomes nearly $9M to expand broadband access
Politico: Abortion referendum offers Ohio Democrats a playbook for ’24
Ideastream: Republican senator proposes getting rid of ballot drop boxes in all 88 Ohio counties
On Election Eve, Frank LaRose’s Efforts To Silence, Mislead Ohioans And Ban Abortion Are Front and Center
Frank LaRose “Has Demonstrated He Will Stop At Nothing To Keep Ohio Women From Making Their Own Private Medical Decisions”
Columbus, OH – Tomorrow, Ohioans will decide on an amendment to protect reproductive rights and overturn the state’s current abortion ban and Frank LaRose’s efforts to intentionally silence and mislead Ohioans to ban abortion are front and center.
First, LaRose made himself the face of August’s State Issue 1, costing taxpayers $18 million to move the goalposts ahead of the November election and admitting August’s State Issue 1 was “100%” about abortion. When that failed, LaRose rewrote the ballot language for the abortion amendment to “intentionally mislead” and confuse Ohioans. Then, LaRose “quietly purged” thousands of voters ahead of the November election, leaving purged voters little-to-no time to re-register and cast their ballots.
On Election Eve, here’s what Ohioans are watching about LaRose’s attempts to ban abortion in Ohio:
WATCH HERE: LaRose Supports National Abortion Ban
Frank LaRose: “I’m pro-life and if a pro-life measure comes before the Senate, then I would vote as a pro-life American.”
On Election Eve, here’s what Ohioans are reading about LaRose’s attempts to ban abortion in Ohio:
- WVXU: “Now, the Republican majority of his five-member Ohio Ballot Board — chaired by LaRose and tasked with the job of approving ballot language — stands accused of trying to stack the deck against the abortion rights amendment by inserting what abortion rights groups call misleading, inaccurate and inflammatory language into what should be a simple statement of fact.”
- Huffington Post: “Republicans in Ohio are still trying to pass their anti-choice agenda, even after voters in the state successfully thwarted a ballot initiative earlier this month that would have made it harder to pass a pro-choice constitutional amendment this fall… led by anti-choice advocate and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, on Thursday approved anti-choice language to be used in the initiative, which may confuse voters. The approved summary language uses “unborn child” instead of “fetus.” It does not include any language about the right to make decisions about miscarriages, fertility treatments or contraception — even though that’s a significant part of the proposed amendment.”
- New York Times: “But that language does not appear on the ballot. Instead, voters see a summary from the Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, a Republican who opposes abortion and pushed the August ballot measure to try to thwart the abortion rights amendment. That summary turns the provision on viability on its head, saying the amendment ‘would always allow an unborn child to be aborted at any stage of pregnancy, regardless of viability.’”
- TIME:“Put simply: the way the question is appearing on the ballot could thwart the efforts to keep abortion legal in Ohio.”
- The Guardian: “Voting rights advocates say the process lacked transparency and departed from Frank LaRose’s usual practice of alerting groups before removing registrations from the rolls. And it comes as LaRose campaigns hard against the 7 November constitutional amendment vote – when Ohio voters will decide whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution – as well as a vote on a separate measure to legalize marijuana.”
- Ohio Capital Journal: “Ohio Democrats criticize LaRose for squeezing removals between an August vote on an issue he favored and a November election with an issue he opposes.”
- Heartland Signal: Ohio Secretary of State LaRose purges almost 27,000 voters from rolls right before reproductive rights vote
On Election Eve, here’s what Ohioans are saying about LaRose’s attempts to ban abortion in Ohio:
- Marilou Johanek, Ohio Capital Journal: “LaRose has demonstrated he will stop at nothing to keep Ohio women from making their own private medical decisions.”
- Cleveland.com Editorial Board: “The issue’s supporters say the Ballot Board summary is intentionally misleading and fails to meet the standards required by Ohio law. At the least, it’s an attempt by LaRose to have his thumb on the scale of fairness – again.”
- Cleveland.com Editorial Board: “Explanations from LaRose’s office citing federal deadlines don’t quite add up….Frank LaRose’s decision…raises red flags.”
- The Chronicle Telegram Editorial Board: “Frank LaRose and his fellow Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board are up to their old tricks again, massaging ballot language for political advantage.”
- Veronica Strevel, Ohio Veteran: “But then − in a slap in the face to all Ohioans, let alone the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who signed on to that language − LaRose abused his elected office by recently rewriting the language voters will see when they enter the voting booth this November.”
- Angie Charles, Stow: “[LaRose] dove deep into their bag of tricks in their attempt to sway votes for an unpopular amendment to the state constitution in August. They failed. They’re going to reach even deeper into that soiled bag to defeat Issue 1, the reproductive rights amendment, in November.”
- Joy Bennett, Mason: “LaRose’s attempt to deceive us by changing the abortion amendment’s ballot language is disgraceful. He’s abusing his position as secretary of state to overrule us. What will stop him from doing the same as senator?”
- Toba Feldman, Columbus: “Stop the games. Run a fair election and debate the facts not the fear.”
- Bethany Double, Farmdale: “LaRose is using his role as Ohio Secretary of State to push his own agenda, and he will do the same if he is elected to the U.S. Senate. We cannot forget he has openly voiced his support for a national abortion ban. He does not care what Ohioans want and would override us if he goes to the Senate.”
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