Oxford, Ohio (Nov. 1, 2024) – Miami University students fielded a survey of Ohio voters from Oct. 28-30. The results show tight races. Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris 49% to 46% among registered voters in the presidential race, while Sherrod Brown leads Bernie Moreno 48% to 46% in the senate race. Issue 1 also remains close with the Yes vote leading the No vote 46% to 45% with a large number of voters (9%) reporting that they are still not sure. The margin of error (which does not account for error from sampling coverage or survey language) is 5%.
The survey was fielded by the students using a text-to-web modality. The students texted a random sample of registered voters in Ohio. The results were weighted to Ohio registered voters using education (3 categories) by sex, race (white/non-white) by sex, age (3 categories), vote history, and party registration. The latter two variables were taken from L2 voter file data.
The tables below show the results for all registered voters and then the subset of voters that reported that they either had already voted or definitely would vote.
The survey was supported by the Menard Family Center for Democracy and the Center for Career Exploration and Success at Miami University.
Loveland, Ohio – Fresh off a terrifying Halloween, Chris and Mark talk about something truly frightening: the 2024 Cincinnati Bengals’ defense. Against the Philadelphia Eagles last week they put as much fear into the opposing offense as Charlie Brown in his cut-up ghost outfit. After the 37-17 loss, the guys discuss how the defense showed once again that they cannot hold up against mobile quarterbacks. The game next week against the Raiders is yet another winnable one versus a bottom-of-the league team, and if they can’t win there, the season will be officially declared dead as a doornail. Mark also explains how the Bearcats matched up against Colorado, and highlights the fight they had against two Buffalo All-Americans in Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Chris gets to celebrate a rare Wolverines rivalry win against Michigan State, while bracing for potentially ugly Saturday when the top-ranked Oregon Ducks visit Ann Arbor.
Have a listen and don’t forget to leave your comments and feedback!
As a few notes, here is the exceptional breakdown of the struggles facing the Bengals running game referenced in the podcast:
There's been A LOT of talk about the #Bengals' rushing attack. What's going wrong? Can it be fixed? Is it all on the offensive line? Running backs? Scheme? @bengals_sans with a GREAT breakdown⬇️https://t.co/TmWIZ1SfMG
Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?
Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
An Ohio child advocacy group is making a push for paid family leave, one of many that have been made over the years as child care costs continue to rise.
Groundwork Ohio used its newest report to encourage implementation of paid leave policies in a state where the vast majority of residents have jobs that don’t offer paid family leave.
“The benefits are vast, including improved health outcomes for mothers and babies, reduced infant mortality rates and diminished emotional and financial stress,” according to Lynne Gutierrez, president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio.
One of the other types of leave that exists in the U.S. is the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides leave that keeps individuals from losing their jobs for specific family and medical reasons, but that leave is unpaid. Groundwork Ohio’s analysis estimated 8.4 million people, about 5.3% of eligible workers – those in companies with 50 employees or more who have worked for at least a year –use FMLA annually, but also found that FMLA “has significant limitations forcing over 40% of the total U.S. workforce to the fringes of a benefit made accessible due to legal technicalities.”
Under FMLA, “family” is categorized as spouses, children and parents, but excludes “modern families and LGBTQ+ populations,” the study stated.
To fill the gaps in FMLA coverage, the report argued support for paid family leave should be taken up by state legislatures to not only support families in better ways, but also to bring the U.S. up to par with other countries. Currently, the U.S. is one of only six countries globally without national paid maternity leave, according to Groundwork, an “abysmally far cry from the average 29 weeks of paid maternity leave sanctified in most other countries.”
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“In the absence of a functioning paid leave insurance system, U.S. workers are likely to repurpose earned vacation or sick time for family and health care reasons, leading to increased burnout, turnover and poorer mental health outcomes,” the study stated.
The paid family leave gaps come amid a child care landscape that is also considered inaccessible and unaffordable to many in Ohio and across the country.
Some state legislatures have already taken steps to fill the paid leave gap, with 21 states and D.C. enacting paid leave laws in 2023.
A study of state-level programs conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families in 2023 found improved labor force participation, less need for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other public assistance programs, and improvements in health outcomes for children and parents.
“People’s access to paid leave should not depend on where they live or work or what kind of job they hold,” the NPWF stated. “The success of paid family and medical leave programs at the state level demonstrates that there is an effective, affordable and proven model that works for families, businesses and the economy.”
Ohio’s economy could see boosts with the implementation of paid leave policies, according to Groundwork’s analysis. A full-time employee in Ohio gives up about $3,100 in income if they take one month of unpaid leave.
“If women in Ohio could participate in the labor force at the same rate as women in countries with paid leave policies, the state would see approximately $3.9 billion more in wages statewide, simultaneously boosting the state economy and helping to stabilize families,” the study stated.
Citing Federal Reserve estimates, the research stated Ohio’s overall GDP would have been $67 billion higher between 2005 and 2019 “if gender and racial wealth gaps were closed.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
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Susan Tebben
Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Disability Employment Awareness Month is Celebrating the Value and Talents of People with Disabilities and What They Bring to the Workplace and Economy.
by Courtney Hineman
Loveland, Ohio – Disability Employment Awareness is not only important to me but to people all over the world with developmental disabilities. This is why I wanted to interview someone with a disability for my second vlog episode that is not only employed but is thriving at their job! For this episode, I interviewed my friend and fellow self-advocate Nick Sopiwnik! We talked about why Disability Employment Awareness Month is important to him, and about his employment experience. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation and this episode makes you think about how you can help others with disabilities find employment.
My desire is that you will find the following organizations helpful as we continue our journey together!
Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities
The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports over 4,100 Butler County Residents. Supports and services are available life-long through contracts with partner agencies or directly provided by our Board.
Founded in 1967, the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports over 4,100 people. Supports and services are available life-long through partner agencies or directly provided by our Board.
Much of our services go beyond the walls of our facilities and take place in the community. The Board’s supports are geared toward the philosophy of person-centered thinking, which places the individual at the center of decisions made about the services they receive. We are committed to helping people determine their dreams and helping to make those dreams come true.
Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) is a government social services agency established by state law. For more than 50 years, HCDDS has provided educational, vocational, and residential support and services to thousands of individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). Each year, we support approximately 7,300 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout their lives, from babies through seniors, by providing case management, monitoring service quality, and funding services provided by our community partners.
We treat each person we serve as a unique individual and connect them to services to reflect the life they want. By collaborating with more than 1,000 certified providers, we’re able to support people to live a life that is important and meaningful to them, on their own terms.
Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities
The mission of the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities is to help those we serve expand capabilities and navigate the possibilities. We envision a culture comprised of inclusive communities where people with disabilities thrive and live a life on their own terms. Individuals and families served by the Clermont County Board of DD have the right of choice and flexibility regarding what, how and where services are provided. Individuals and families will be empowered to make decisions, become partners and work cooperatively with professionals, and exert control over the services provided to them.
Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities
The Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities provides services and supports to over 2,400 people in Warren County who have developmental disabilities. The mission of the board is supporting people with disabilities and their families to achieve what is important to them. The Board employs 127 people in full and part time positions. We operate out of four locations in Warren County, and have an annual budget of $30,500,000.00. More than 65% of our revenue is derived from local levy funds.
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
The mission of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council (Ohio DD Council) is to create change that improves independence, productivity and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities and their families in community life. The Ohio DD Council operates under the authority of the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act) and is a part of the Ohio DD Network. The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities assists and supports the Ohio DD Council as the federally mandated designated state agency.
Loveland, Ohio – If you are curious about the history of your home and property you can attend this free event at the Loveland Museum Center’s JoAnn Richardson History House to learn about how to research your home’s background. Susan Daniel from the Norwood Historical Society will be leading the discussion. She will provide guidance real-time demonstrations.
Jenny Shives, the Curator of the Loveland Museum said, “With all of the discussion surrounding the property at 200 Railroad Avenue, I thought you might like to post this on your website.”
As part of a group “working to restore faith in public elections,” two former Ohio elected officials are urging Ohioans to trust the process, and accept the results.
Former U.S. Representative Zack Space and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell participated in a Wednesday panel discussion at the University of Cincinnati on election integrity and trust in the electoral process. The discussion was part of UC’s “Digital Futures Flashpoint” series.
Space, a Democrat, said he and the Republican Blackwell don’t agree on their choice of presidential candidate in the November election, or their choice in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, or even on certain policies.
“But we agree on this: if you cast your vote … you can rest assured that it will be counted,” Space said.
Blackwell – who served in the George H.W. Bush administration, was an honorary co-chair of the George W. Bush campaign in 2004 and was a part of former President Donald Trump’s transition team in 2016 – said the strength of the elections system in Ohio should be believed.
“We need to turn up the volume to help people believe their vote does matter,” Blackwell said. “We can detect flaws in the system and fix flaws in the system. That’s something we do well in Ohio.”
In Blackwell’s tenure as Ohio’s secretary of state from 1999 to 2007, he dealt with his own share of election controversies and questions. With regard to an investigation into “irregularities reported in the Ohio presidential election” in 2004, U.S. House Rep. John Conyers, Jr., the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said “there were massive and unprecedented voter irregularities and anomalies in Ohio.”
Several counties were hampered by broken voting machines, not enough voting machines, and a directive by Blackwell on provisional ballots.
“In many cases these irregularities were caused by intentional misconduct and illegal behavior, much of it involving Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the co-chair of the Bush/Cheney campaign in Ohio,” Conyers wrote.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
State Democrats sued about a directive issued by Blackwell for that election that kept ballot boards from giving ballots to voters who were in the wrong precinct. A U.S. District judge blocked the directive, but an appellate court ruled in favor of Blackwell, throwing out certain provisional ballots.
Blackwell addressed the criticism over the long lines on Wednesday, saying the problem, particularly in Montgomery County, was a campaign that had engaged university students to vote, to the point where polling places were not prepared with enough machines, and long lines ensued.
Though he faced much criticism at the time, on Wednesday, he changed the narrative.
“The reality was it was a very positive sign,” Blackwell said, saying the increased voter turnout and the success of the student engagement was a good thing.
For this election year, Blackwell and Space are putting their heads together as part of the Democracy Defense Project, a bipartisan coalition of former elected officials from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio.
“An erosion of faith in our democracy and the proliferation of politicians undermining election integrity to bolster their own campaign, reputation or party’s influence have caused false narratives about ‘stolen elections’ to take root,” according to the project’s website. “The mistrust that many voters have for our electoral system puts our democracy at grave risk.”
The targets of the group include boosting confidence in election results and improving voter participation, according to the DDP website.
While the Ohio members of DDP agree that it is unlikely America will know the results of the presidential election next Tuesday night, with close calls and litigation anticipated, they urged the public to have faith in the election through the work that local boards of elections do and the protections in place for votes.
“There is a point by which the challenges are resolved and if it doesn’t go your way, you have to accept it,” Blackwell said.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
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Susan Tebben
Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
The Cincinnati Reds released a tribute video honoring Pete Rose on Tuesday night. The Hit King died on September 30. He was 83 years old.
Rose finished his career with 4,256 hits, three World Series Championships, 17 All-Star appearances and one MVP. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2016. There’s a statue of Rose outside of Great American Ballpark.
October 31, 2024 – Farah Siddiqi, Public News Service (OH)
In Ohio, the debate over Issue One has stirred strong emotions among residents and community leaders.
For many, the proposal to establish a citizens’ redistricting commission transcends politics. It represents a push for fair representation.
Marian Stewart, a retired pastor from Greene County, is a vocal supporter of the measure and frames the issue as a moral imperative.
“Rigging the maps is not fair; it’s cheating,” Stewart asserted. “Disenfranchising voters and limiting accountability does not value or respect all of our voices. It’s just wrong. That’s why I joined with faith leaders across Ohio in voting yes on Issue One.”
Stewart’s words echoed the concerns of many Ohioans who believe gerrymandered districts limit the political voice of everyday citizens. Proponents argued Issue One will ensure a fairer process by empowering a bipartisan citizens’ commission to draw electoral maps.
Critics of the measure, including some conservative groups, countered it could introduce new forms of political bias into redistricting. The opposing group had the language of the ballot issue changed to include the word “gerrymander.”
For advocates of Ohio’s labor community, the proposal is about ensuring working people’s interests are not drowned out by political manipulation.
Ted Linscott, president of the Southeast Ohio Central Labor Council, described how unfair districts can sideline Ohio’s working-class voices.
“Working people need fair voting districts so their voices can be heard,” Linscott contended. “Workers don’t need extreme right or left. We need fairness.”
The League of Women Voters of Ohio has been advocating for anti-gerrymandering reforms since 1981, underscoring the need for a responsive government.
Jen Miller, the group’s executive director, views Issue One as an important step toward accountability, noting the first initiative had support from the Ohio Republican Party but was opposed by Democrats, who held power at the time.
“The first thing that mappers did was look at the addresses of their favorite candidates and incumbents and draw lines around them, rather than drawing districts that keep communities together and make sure that Ohioans have meaningful elections,” Miller pointed out.
Ohio’s Issue One has drawn support from a diverse coalition, including labor unions, faith leaders and civic organizations, all advocating for a more representative government. As voters head to the polls, they are faced with a question beyond party lines: Should Ohio’s electoral districts be shaped by politicians or by the people they serve?
The Loveland’s Board of Zoning Appeals has voted to allow the demolition of this home at 200 Railroad Avenue.
Loveland, Ohio– The Loveland Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) dismissed an appeal by resident Deidre Hazelbaker attempting to prevent the demolition of a home in Loveland’s Historic Downtown last night.
After the Loveland Historic Planing Commission gave a approval to demolish the house, Hazelbaker appealed the decision to the BZA. She was not allowed to make her case before the Board. Nine residents had signed up to speak about the demolition and were not allowed the opportunity to speak.
BZA members David Black, Sean Kiehl, and Tim Marsh voted unanimously to dismiss the case after City attorney Joe Braun told them that Hazelbaker did not have “standing” and was not eligible to file the appeal. Tim Marsh chairs the BZA and presided over the meeting.
This video is Hazelbaker responding after the meeting about the BZA decision:
This video is a recording of the BZA meeting:
Scroll to see the full agenda before the Board.
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A man participates in exit polling after voting in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary at Dreher High School on Feb. 24, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — A pro-democracy organization warned Monday that disinformation and violent rhetoric could make the weeks that follow Election Day especially fraught, pushing the country past the upheaval that arose four years ago during the last presidential transition.
The comments from three members of the Defend Democracy Project came just days before voting ends on Nov. 5, though with several races extremely close, the country may not know for days who won the presidential contest as well as control of Congress.
That could leave considerable space for speculation as state election workers count mail-in ballots and potentially undertake full recounts, similar to four years ago.
“I think the biggest vulnerability will continue to be the mis- and disinformation that will happen in the aftermath of the election,” said Olivia Troye, who previously worked for Vice President Mike Pence as a special adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism.
Troye raised concerns that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may make false claims about election fraud and encourage violence similar to what took place on Jan. 6, 2021, should he lose the Electoral College again.
Troye referenced an election bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security she said cautioned that “candidates, elected officials, election workers, members of the media, judges involved in these cases” could all become targets of post-election violence.
“And they’re also concerned about the visible attacks and violence on polling places or ballot drop boxes,” Troye said, referencing the burning of ballots inside drop boxes in Oregon and Washington states early Monday morning.
Michael Podhorzer, chair of the Defend Democracy Project, said during the virtual briefing for reporters that one of the reasons many state officials didn’t go along with requests to “find votes” for Trump in the days following the 2020 election was because President Joe Biden had “two states to spare.”
“And that created a prisoner’s dilemma for every Republican election official who might have done the wrong thing,” Podhorzer said. “So if you take the call to (Georgia Secretary of State) Brad Raffensperger, he understood that even if he could find those votes that Trump wanted, unless two Democratic secretaries of state overturned their results, Donald Trump was not going back to the White House.
“And what that meant was that there wasn’t any single actor, in the way there was in 2000 in Florida, who could actually change the results of the election.”
That could be different this time, should Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris win by a small margin, potentially just one state’s Electoral College votes, he said.
Accepting the results
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released a survey Monday showing 86% of registered voters believe whoever loses the presidential election should accept the results, though just 33% expect Trump will concede if he fails to secure the votes needed to win the Electoral College.
About 77% of those surveyed expected Harris to accept the results should she lose the presidential race.
Anxiety about post-election violence was rather high among the registered voters surveyed, with 76% saying they are extremely or somewhat concerned about violent attempts to overturn the election results.
Eighty-two percent said they were at least somewhat concerned about “increased political violence directed at political figures or election officials.”
Voters are also worried about foreign interference in the elections, with 78% of the registered voters surveyed saying they are extremely or somewhat concerned about it “influencing what Americans think about political candidates.”
The co-chairs of Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity — former U.S. Reps. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., Donna Edwards, D-Md., Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. — released a written statement Monday addressing a fake video produced by Russian actors about ballots in Pennsylvania. The statement also criticized a Maryland Republican congressman who said North Carolina should just give its Electoral College votes to Trump.
“Foreign adversaries are seeking to influence U.S. elections by sowing division and spreading false information to undermine confidence in our system of self-government,” the co-chairs wrote. “In addition, people who want to win at all costs continue to spread false claims about election integrity and may create chaos, delay results, and challenge the outcome of our fair electoral process.”
The four wrote the suggestions from Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the far-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus, that North Carolina simply grant its 15 Electoral College votes to Trump “before votes are counted are dangerous and against the rule of law.”
“By rejecting the so-called independent state legislature theory in Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court affirmed that state legislatures do not have the power to replace the popular will with a slate of electors,” they wrote.
Issue One describes itself as a “crosspartisan” organization that works to “unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.”
GOP blowback on Puerto Rico insults at Trump rally
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Democrats and Republicans united somewhat Monday to express anger about comments a comedian made about Puerto Rico during a Trump rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke in the hours leading up to Trump’s comments, called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.”
Hinchcliffe later said Latinos “love making babies” and made additional lewd comments.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif., released a statement Monday calling the comments shameful and dangerous.
“This type of language emboldens prejudice, encourages violence, and undermines the values of unity and respect that our country is built on,” Barragán wrote. “It’s deeply troubling to see Republican leaders celebrate this rhetoric instead of promoting unity and truth.”
Vice President Harris told reporters traveling with her that the comedian’s comments were part of the reason voters are “exhausted” and “ready to turn the page” on Trump.
“It is absolutely something that is intended to, and is fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country,” Harris said.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott posted on social media that the comedian’s comments about Puerto Rico were “not funny and it’s not true.”
“Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit!” Scott wrote. “I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Florida Republican Rep. Carlos A. Giménez posted on social media that the comedian’s comments were “completely classless & in poor taste.”
“Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” Giménez wrote. “@TonyHinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”
Puerto Rico’s delegate to the U.S. House, Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican, called the comedian’s remarks “despicable, misguided, and revolting.”
“What he said is not funny; just as his comments were rejected by the audience, they should be rejected by all!” González-Colón wrote. “There can be no room for such vile and racist expressions. They do not represent the values of the GOP.”
Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.
Jennifer Shutt
Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Courtney Hineman is a disability rights advocate. She is the Community Outreach Advocate at the 
Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities
After the Loveland Historic Planing Commission gave a approval to demolish the house, Hazelbaker appealed the decision to the BZA. She was not allowed to make her case before the Board. Nine residents had signed up to speak about the demolition and were not allowed the opportunity to speak.
