What is at Stake in Ohio for the 2022 Midterms?
At Rideshare2Vote, we are gearing up to expand programming within the state of Ohio for the 2022 midterm elections. There is a lot at stake in Ohio, as we are faced with a chance to flip the state blue. It will be a big year for Ohio elections, from the governor’s mansion to state ballot initiatives.
Midterm elections are right around the corner, with the filing deadline approaching in February. A few notable candidates have announced their bids for various offices on the ballots next year. We still have yet to see democratic candidates in certain offices and areas of the state; however, we are looking at 15 Congressional representatives to elect, along with the entire executive branch up for election, various judges, and other crucial statewide ballot initiatives. The only way to ensure we select the right candidates for office is to drive up voter turnout across the state of Ohio.
First up, we have the governor’s race. We have Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, running to do something for Ohio. Whaley, the more progressive candidate, is running to ensure folks in Ohio have equal opportunity in the future, to build upon the opportunity for future generations. Nan Whaley was able to lead the city of Dayton around the opioid epidemic and fight back against gun violence after the shooting and KKK rally that took place all within the last two years. Whaley is running to make a sure difference in the state of Ohio. In 2016, Whaley provided universal pre-K to children in the city of Dayton and is now campaigning to take the initiative statewide. John Cranley, Cincinnati mayor, is the more moderate democrat of the choices, running on a platform to legalize marijuana and creating more jobs for the middle class. On the other hand, we have the extreme. Joe Blystone is the Republican candidate. Blystone, a self-titled “constitutional conservative” preaching pro-life, anti-abortion rhetoric in the same breath as he says people deserve bodily autonomy and the right to choose if they receive the COVID vaccination or wear a mask in public. He also believes the current governor, Mike Dewine, should be jailed for shutdowns earlier in the pandemic. The choice for governor should be clear.
Senator Rob Portman announced his retirement earlier this year, opening the seat up for a potential democrat to take over. After breaking way from Trump-style republicans and remaining a “sensible republican,” Portman quoted, “I don’t think any Senate office has been more successful in getting things done, but honestly, it has gotten harder and harder to break through the partisan gridlock and make progress on substantive policy, and that has contributed to my decision.” Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan has also thrown his hat into the ring for the opening. Ryan has chosen a similar yet less progressive approach to organizing working people. Perhaps the most progressive of the two candidates that have announced their bid, Morgan Harper, is running to give power back to communities across the state through empowering working people, communities, and people of color and ending the pandemic. Her supported policies include universal healthcare, universal education, and universal childcare. Harper also puts her unwavering support behind reproductive justice, ending gun violence, and LGBTQ+ rights.
In 2022, there will be 15 congressional representative seats to vote for. One of the most crucial will be to keep Jim Jordan from being re-elected among the congressional races. Jordan, perhaps one of the most notorious Trump-enabling congressmen for keeping the Big Lie going, also not only remains a pandemic denier but believes Ohio should end every and all vaccine mandates.
After the proposed election law overhaul in states across the country, Ohio included, this office is becoming more essential for democrats to lockdown. In Ohio, the GOP introduced HB294, which would shorten the number of early voting days, limit the number of drop boxes for absentee ballots in counties, and change the processes for registering to vote and requesting absentee ballots. There is one democratic candidate that has announced a bid for Secretary of State, Chelsea Clark. Ohio needs a Secretary of State that will protect election integrity and ensure all Ohioans have fair, equal access to the polls. HB294 is an act of voter suppression. Electing a Democratic candidate to the Secretary of State’s office would curb this action.
There are multiple judge seats open in the state at varying levels. For example, Judge Jennifer Brunner will be running for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Justice Brunner was Ohio’s first woman Secretary of State, served on the Tenth District Court of Appeals and the Franklin County Court Common Pleas Court. In the next year, these races will be something to pay attention to as it will be the first year the party affiliation will be listed on the ballot. This is a new law signed into effect by Gov Mike DeWine and will affect dozens of appellate court seats as well as the Supreme Court candidates.
Of the proposed ballot initiatives, Ohio voters may be phased with a question that has been in the works for some time now. Organizers for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol have rallied behind the initiative to legalize the adult recreational use of marijuana in the state. After collecting enough signatures for the campaign, the initiative was submitted to the Secretary of State’s office for approval for the next steps. The initiative would enact a state law to legalize the cultivation and home growth, possession, sale, and use of recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. The initiative would also enact a 10% cannabis tax rate on sales in order to fund “a cannabis social equity and jobs program” to help individuals adversely impacted by the enforcement of marijuana laws. While there still is a chance for legislation to be passed to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana in the state of Ohio, there may also be a chance for it to be left in the hands of the Ohio voters.
Our focus in Ohio will be to turn out as many Democratic voters in the state as possible to turn these seats blue. We will be taking as many riders to the polls as needed in the May primary to ensure these vital seats are filled with proper representatives. Follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest efforts we are leading in Ohio and across the country. If you want to help with phone banks, canvassing, social media efforts, or want to help provide the wheels to democracy in your state for the 2022 midterms, join us now.
by Heather Tingley
