There are two numbers that sum up the year in politics in 2023: 1 and 2. Over the span of three months, Ohio voters voted twice on a statewide Issue 1 and a statewide Issue 2.
In August, Issue 1 would have made it harder for citizens to amend the state constitution. Voters rejected it in special election.
In November, voters approved a different Issue 1 to add abortion and reproductive health protections to the state constitution and approved Issue 2 to legalize recreational marijuana.
Right after the constitutional amendment threshold amendment failed in August, a new push to reform gerrymandered political maps in Ohio started.
The effort, led by a coalition called Citizens Not Politicians, seeks to take lawmakers and lobbyists out of the process. Among the driving forces in the coalition is former Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor.
This past year has been a consequential year for education in Ohio. From the overhaul of the state board of education to the creation of the new cabinet Department of Education and Workforce, to the expansion of private tuition vouchers, lawmakers had a lot of input into education in 2023.
Lawmakers used the state budget to pass both the education overhaul and the expansion of vouchers. And an effort to combat the so-called "woke" culture on college campuses got off the ground and will be considered by the House in the new year.
The ACLU is tracking a record 508 anti-LGBTQ bills in the U.S. in 2023. In Ohio, 10 LGBTQ bills were introduced in Columbus this year and currently stand in various stages of the legislative process.
One of the biggest stories of the year began on the night of Feb. 3. That's when a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine. The crash put the Columbiana County village on the map and upended the lives of many residents. Emergency officials several days later then burned off the chemical vinyl chloride.
The 2022 police-shooting death of Jayland Walker echoed into 2023. In April, a grand jury determined that the eight officers who opened fire on Walker after a car and foot pursuit were legally justified. The grand jury's decision to not indict the officers set off protests. A subsequent investigation by the department determined there was no wrongdoing by the police.
Guests:
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
-Ken Schneck, Editor, The Buckeye Flame
-Anna Huntsman, Akron Canton Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Glenn Forbes, Supervising Producer for Newscasts, Ideastream Public Media
-Andrew Meyer, Deputy Editor for News, Ideastream Public Media