Democratic News

State Representative Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) issued the following statement in response to the news that the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute settled its legal challenge against Secretary of State Frank LaRose such that Ohioans’ ballots will be counted even if they are caught up in the voter purge. See the settlement agreement here and her statement below.

State Reps. David Leland (D-Columbus), Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) and Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today announced town hall meetings TOMORROW, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwich Township Safety Services Building in Hilliard and Thursday, August 29 at 6:00 p.m. at the Whetstone Library to discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led wins for working people and families in Central Ohio.

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) and House Democratic lawmakers today announced the launch of DoSomethingOhio.com, a website designed to provide resources for constituents to contact their legislators and call for commonsense gun reform in Ohio.

State Reps. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) today introduced legislation honoring the late author Toni Morrison by designating her birthday, February 18, as “Toni Morrison Day” in Ohio.

Democratic state Reps. Randi Clites (D-Ravenna) and Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) will host a press conference Wednesday, August 28, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hudson Public Library to highlight the second leg of the freshman district bus tour, which includes Clites and Weinstein’s House Districts 75 and 37, respectively. 

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) held a community town hall Tuesday as part of the Ohio Promise Town Hall Tour, a statewide legislative town hall series hosted by House Democratic members. The purpose of the tour is to hear from constituents in their districts about their most pressing concerns, answer questions, and discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led, legislative wins for working people and families.

State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) today sent a letter to Board Members at the Lucas County Board of Elections to urge training of election officials and poll workers on new procedures for early voting that began earlier this year. Early voters now have the option to present Election Day-style voter identification or provide the last four digits of their Social Security Number.

House Democratic lawmakers today sent a letter* to Secretary of State Frank LaRose alerting him to new problems with the purge list and urging him to cancel the upcoming voter purge. Thousands of Ohio registered voters are being targeted for removal from the rolls at the beginning of September, many of whom are still eligible to vote. Last Thursday, community groups working to help find people on the purge list also raised problems with the process and the tools provided by the Secretary and asked for more time to help people stay registered.

State Reps. Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati), Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Jessica E. Miranda (D-Forest Park) held a community town hall last Thursday as part of the Ohio Promise Town Hall Tour, a statewide legislative town hall series hosted by House Democratic members. The purpose of the tour is to hear from constituents in their districts about their most pressing concerns, answer questions, and discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led, legislative wins for working people and families.

“I really appreciate People Working Cooperatively allowing us to use their beautiful space,” said Rep. Denson. “I enjoyed hearing the thoughts and concerns of those in attendance, and can’t wait to incorporate that into what I’m doing in Columbus at the Statehouse.”

State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) last week introduced new legislation, House Bill (HB) 316, that would allow family members, household members, or law enforcement officers to file for a court order temporarily preventing individuals considered to be an imminent danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.

“In many instances of gun violence, there were clear warning signs the shooter posed a serious risk of injuring themselves or others with a firearm,” said Rep. Russo. “Extreme risk protection orders save lives by giving families and law enforcement time to quickly intervene before those warning signs escalate into tragedies, while also respecting Second amendment and due process rights.”