It is now less than three weeks until Election Day. The biggest share of media attention has focused on the presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It's a very close race and most pundits expect the race will come down to just a couple of swing states and be decided by a narrow margin.
Ohio is not among those swing states. The former president carried the state easily in both 2016 and 2020 and is predicted to do so again.
Further down the ballot though, there are races that could shift the balance of power in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. The U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno as well as the Ohio 13th Congressional District race between incumbent Emilia Sykes and Republican challenger Kevin Coughlin are being watched nationally. Both races are airing ads nearly nonstop in a bid to win over voters.
Voters in Ohio will also weigh in on statehouse races where all 99 Ohio House districts are up for election and about a third of the state senate. Voters will decide state Issue 1 which seeks to change who draws Ohio's political maps. And Cleveland and Akron lead the districts seeking levies from voters.
To begin Wednesday’s "Sound of Ideas," we've asked our Ideastream Public Media and Statehouse News Bureau colleagues onto the show to talk about some of the candidates, issues and levies on the ballot this November.
We will begin with an in-depth discussion about the statewide issues and races on the ballot, including three pivotal Ohio Supreme Court races and state Issue 1 that seeks to change who draws Ohio’s political maps.
Then we will move on to more local issues including levy requests in Cleveland and Akron as well as a proposal to increase the per-pack cigarette tax that funds the arts in Cuyahoga County.
You can find a sample ballot by going to your county boards of elections. You can find links to those in our Ideastream Voter Guide.
School issues on the ballot in Northeast Ohio counties
More on Issue 55 in Cuyahoga County
Later, we talk to the author of "An Alternative History of Cleveland." The book explores what is known about the Indigenous peoples who called the region home and how they interacted with the environment.
Guests:
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
-Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Kabir Bhatia, Sr. Reporter, Arts and Culture, Ideatream Public Media
-Carrie Wise, Deputy Editor, Arts & Culture, Ideastream Public Media
-John Wlasiuk, Author