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Rotunda Rumblings Reading the room: In the first general election after Republican lawmakers changed how libraries were funded by the state, voters across Ohio overwhelmingly moved to support their libraries. Of the 20 levies on the ballot, 18 succeeded on Tuesday, Mary Frances McGowan reports. The results come months after the Ohio General Assembly eliminated a longstanding funding formula that allocated libraries a set percentage of the state’s General Revenue Fund. The budget signed by Gov. Mike DeWine replaced that formula with a line-item appropriation, making library funding more vulnerable to cuts. Class act: Over two-thirds of school tax issues on the ballot Tuesday passed, according to a tally maintained by the Ohio School Boards Association. Laura Hancock writes that this is despite high property taxes that homeowners across the state have faced, as property values have hit record highs. Act local: Ohio Democrats scored several victories in local races in Tuesday’s general election, consolidating power in major cities, making further inroads in suburban areas, and even notching wins in a couple rural races. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, it remains to be seen what Democrats’ wins this year will mean for the party’s fortunes in much higher-profile races next year. But at the very least, it helps stock the Ohio Democratic Party’s “bench,” which is frequently cited as a key reason for the party’s decline in recent years. Read more Ohio politics stories Do wins Tuesday by Ohio Democrats say something about the party’s future? Ohio Senate Republicans vote to end grace period for absentee ballots Ohio voters approve 18 of 20 public library levies amid state funding cuts College recruitment: Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh created a new scholarship intended to attract Ohio college students whose degrees are being suspended or cut due to state Senate Bill 1 or budget cuts. Hancock reports that all the Ohio colleges have said they intend to offer the degrees to students who are already enrolled, they’re just not accepting new admissions. However, this is the second out-of-state college trying to recruit Ohioans after SB 1’s passage. Deadline dispute: Ohio Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to end the state’s four-day grace period for counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. Supporters say the change will align Ohio with the majority of U.S. states and increase voter confidence. Democrats argue it will throw out valid votes delayed by the postal service and make it harder for rural Ohioans to vote. Anna Staver reports the vote came as former President Donald Trump renewed calls for sweeping electoral changes. Redistricting Stakes: U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes says Ohio Democrats can still capture five congressional seats under the state’s newly redrawn map, despite Republican efforts to entrench their power through redistricting, and she believes her party has a strong chance of retaking control of the House of Representatives next year, Sabrina Eaton reports. The Akron Democrat observed that a partisan map the Republican-led commission approved before the 2022 congressional election was supposed to give their party a 12-3 edge in Ohio’s U.S. House delegation, yet five Democrats were able to win that year. In a Tuesday interview a year before voters go to the polls, Sykes predicted Democrats will be able to repeat the feat in 2026. Can’t beat city hall... In three of the highest-profile races of Ohio’s 2025 general election, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz – all Democrats – each cruised to reelection Tuesday night. Bibb walloped Republican Laverne Gore by 49 percentage points. Pureval did even better, beating Republican pastor (and Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother) Cory Bowman by more than 56 percentage points. Kapszukiewicz will become Toledo’s first three-term mayor after receiving more than 60% of the vote against independent Roberto Torres. ...Or can you? Two other major-city Ohio mayors were voted out of office: Jeffrey Mims in Dayton and Tito Brown in Youngstown. Mims, first elected Dayton mayor in 2021, was upset by City Commissioner Shenise Turner-Sloss in a non-partisan race. Brown, a Democrat who was seeking a third four-year term, lost to independent candidate Derrick McDowell, a local entrepreneur. Another incumbent mayor who will remain in office is Luke Feeney of Chillicothe, as the Democrat lost his race for municipal court judge. New sex offender limits? Newly introduced Ohio House legislation would ban registered sex offenders in the state from setting up a little library outside their home and restrict their ability to obtain video footage from public pools. As Haley BeMiller of the Columbus Dispatch reports, House Bill 514, which has bipartisan support, was introduced by state Rep. Mark Hiner of Knox County after a constituent told his office about local police’s inability to take down a little library box maintained by a man convicted of a child-related sex offense. The public pool footage limits come at the request of Mount Vernon city leaders, who say it’s a proactive measure. Full Disclosure Five things we learned from the May 12, 2025 financial disclosure form filed by state Rep. Jennifer Gross, a West Chester Republican, about her 2024 finances. 1. Besides her legislative work, she made up to $999 as a health coach for Optavia LLC, somewhere between $25,000 and $49,999 from DFAS USAF retirement funds, somewhere between $50,000 - $99,999 from inheritance from an estate, and up to $999 from USAA interest on checking and savings. 2. She’s the owner of Jennifer Gross Consulting LLC 3. She did not owe any funds to any creditors last year. 4. She listed one meal in connection to her official duties that exceeded $100 with Young Americans for Liberty. 5. She listed two licenses: one as a registered nurse and another as a board-certified family nurse practitioner. On The Move Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for governor, has been endorsed by the Ohio Laborers’ District Council, a labor union representing more than 22,000 construction workers around the state. Ramaswamy has also been endorsed by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18 union. Sherrod Brown, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, has been endorsed by the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades labor union. Marcell Strbich, a Republican candidate for secretary of state, has been endorsed by Michael Flynn, a former national security advisor to President Donald Trump. Bill Rowland has been selected as the new director of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, effective Friday. Rowland, who succeeds retired LSC Director Wendy Zhan, previously served as an attorney and division chief, among other roles, for LSC for more than three decades. Julie Rishel has been named the Legislative Service Commission’s new assistant director. Rishel has worked for LSC since 2003 as an attorney, supervisor, and division chief. Birthdays Nick Davis, business development associate and project manager, Small Nation Straight From The Source “Cut the crap. Last night’s election was just a loss, pure and simple. No excuses, no blame games. Learn and do better—this battle for America’s soul is far from over.” -- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost posting on X about Tuesday’s election results. Democrats won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey. California voters also overwhelmingly approved a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts to benefit Democrats.
