Election Day Video Contest

I've written about Ballotpedia and I hope you've been able to take advantage of the Ohio Issues page and the listing of endorsements.

Their Voter Integrity Project is hosting an Election Day Contest:

Election Day is fast approaching. With 130 million voters, we can expect potential chaos—including election fraud. Political forces across the ideological spectrum have been documented committing significant vote fraud and voter suppression. These illegal activities effectively negate your vote, along with the voices of countless of other Americans.

For this reason the Sam Adams Alliance has launched a video contest to document this year's election fraud. Working together, we will raise awareness in future elections.

Please spread news about the contest through your networks. Forward this message to former interns, employees, and everyone you know that plans to cast a vote next Tuesday.

Video promo here
For details on the contest, click here.

State and local ballot issues

As the election is next week, I wanted to let you know of several websites that may be of interest as you consider the issues that will appear on the 2008 ballot.

We'll start local with the issue of the proposed study committee for the merger of Sylvania Township and the City of Sylvania. Proponents have establish the OneSylvania website. Opponents have named their website StopSylvaniaMerger. The City of Sylvania council has endorsed the merger study. The Sylvania Township Trustees have opposed the measure.

For the state-wide issues, you'll find no better source that Ballotpedia, which has a hub for Ohio, and includes a page on the 2008 ballot measures. The ballot measures page includes a listing of all the measures, including those that didn't make the ballot, and the laws on how initiatives and referendums are placed on the ballot. Clicking on the title of each issue will take you to a page detailing the measure and what opponents and proponents say about it.

Additionally, there is an endorsement page listing both media, blogger and organization recommendations on the Ohio issues.

Since this is a wiki, it is open for updating by anyone, so if you'd like to add a blogger or newspaper endorsement to the list - or provide additional information on the measures, please do so.

Two initiatives submit signatures for November ballot

According to Ballotpedia, the so-called Healthy Families Act (better known as Sick Days Ohio) and the Casino Act ('myOhionow' from the commercials) both submitted enough signatures by the filing deadline of August 6.

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has until September 25 to certify the ballot signatures. If supporters have fallen short, they have 10 more days to gather additional signatures. It is expected that the initiatives will have enough valid signatures to put them on the fall ballot.

If certified, they will join three other state-wide issues: Water Compact which creates a constitutional amendment protecting property rights along the with passage of the Great Lakes Water Compact; Clean Ohio Fund, which authorizes the state to borrow $400 million for environmental conservation, preservation and revitalization purposes; and the Initiatives Deadline Act which changes the deadline for submitting signatures on initiatives from 90 days pre-election to 125 days pre-election.

The Payday Loan veto referendum, to stop the legislation that put a cap on Payday Loan interest rates, is still awaiting ballot language approval.

For more information on the initiatives, I highly recommend Ballotpedia's balanced descriptions:

Healthy Families Act
Casino Act - My Ohio Now
Ohio Water Compact Amendment
Clean Ohio Fund Act
Initiatives Deadline Act
Ohio Payday Loan Referendum