The state’s largest online charter school said in court filings it will close by January if it’s forced to pay back nearly $80 million to the state from two attendance audits. But the state auditor says a shutdown by ECOT doesn’t mean the bill would be settled. A controversial white nationalist says he’ll sue two state universities if they don’t agree to let him speak on their campuses. The state budget office says its required analysis of Issue 2 shows Ohio could save money if voters approve the drug price initiative next month, but the report says there are many variables that make it impossible to predict how much the state would save. A forum at a Columbus church for the four Republican candidates running for governor next year turned out to be a session in blasting the current Republican governor. Gov. John Kasich is warning that as the nation prepares for self-driving cars, then it must also prepare for some major consequences.
The way Ohio maintains its voter rolls will be on nationwide display in a few weeks, as the US Supreme Court will hears arguments on whether the process to remove voters who have died or moved is fair and keeps the voter rolls properly maintained, as Secretary of State Jon Husted argues, or whether it unfairly disenfranchises voters and violates federal law, as opponents are claiming. An Ohio voter can be removed if they don’t vote for two years – and then don’t respond to a card mailed to them asking them to confirm their address – and then don’t vote for four more years. Tim Ward is the director of the Madison County Board of Elections in London west of Columbus. He’s a Republican and agrees with the Secretary of State’s position supporting the current voter removal process, which he stresses helps fight voter fraud. Mike Brickner is with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which is among the groups that filed suit against the process, saying it’s an unconstitutional to remove people for exercising their right not to vote.