Hundreds of thousands of signatures for two potential November ballot issues were certified by Ohio boards of elections offices this week, including a constitutional amendment enshrining abortion rights, and a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana by statute. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose must validate the collected signatures by Tuesday.
If the abortion issue does make the November ballot, what percentage of the vote it will require to pass is still up in the air. Voters will decide that when they vote on State Issue 1 in August. Yes means the threshold for citizens to amend the constitution is 60%, rather than the 50% majority that now is the law. Interest in that August special election is unusually high. Boards of elections are reporting high numbers of early voting and a forum we hosted last night at the Parma Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library attracted more than 300 people, near capacity of the auditorium there.
In Akron, the last of 26 projects compelled by a federal consent decree to cut sewage overflows into local waterways is going to be costly. And the city is balking. $209 million for a new water treatment plant is just too much, the mayor says, and might not be needed.
And why are so many Garfield Heights teachers leaving? Many cite student misbehavior, concerns about safety and a heavy workload.
We'll cover those stories and more on Friday's "Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable."
