“Strange or out of the ordinary is an understatement,” Niven said. “We’ve had state-wide elections in August in Ohio in 1942 during WWII; in 2022 because of the redistricting commission’s refusal to pass a constitutional map; and now again in 2023. This is an extraordinarily unusual time to have an election. And these elections are prompted by extraordinary events.”
The state legislature has never previously brought a 60% majority rule question to the ballot in Ohio. But then again, the U.S. Supreme Court never overturned Roe v. Wade until now either. “This extraordinary event in this case is the legislature’s fear that the people of Ohio will correct the course and impose their values on the legislature,” Niven said. “Where the legislature is quite accustomed and quite comfortable to impose the legislature’s values on Ohio.”Check your local board of elections website for hours.
Election day is Aug. 8, and the polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots are due by close of polls. A controversial new law requires voters to present a valid ID to vote in person in Hamilton County. Acceptable forms of ID include:U.S. passport or passport cardAll photo IDs must have the following:The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the poll list or in the poll book.Scroll to read more Ohio News articles