Early voting begins today for the November 7 General Election. There are no statewide candidate races on this ballot. Instead, voters statewide will decide Issue 1 and Issue 2.
Issue 1 is an amendment that if passed would enshrine abortion and reproductive health rights into the state constitution. This vote follows August's special election where voters turned down a measure to raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments to 60%. The defeat of that issue means that the abortion rights amendment needs only a simple majority plus one vote to pass.
Issue 2 is a statute that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. It also only needs a simple majority for passage.
We will begin Wednesday’s show talking with Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about early voting and the two statewide issues.
Later in the show, we dig into some national political developments. A recent Pew Research Center study found Americans are not happy with the current state of the political system.
According to Pew, just 4% of adults surveyed said the political system was working extremely or very well. Two-thirds said thinking about politics is “exhausting,” while 55% said thinking about politics made them angry.
Pew collected its survey data in June and July, before last week's historic vote that toppled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The Pew survey also found nearly a third of Americans disenchanted with both political parties and a large majority underwhelmed by candidate choices.
We discuss those issues as well as whether term and age limits would improve the political system’s impression on voters overall.
Guests:
-Tom Sutton, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University
-Matt Cox, Founder & President, Capitol Partners
-Ifeolu Claytor, Treasurer, Northeast Ohio Young Black Democrats
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
Watch video of the show from the Ohio Channel in the player below.