Ohio Politics Explained: Election turnout, abortion decline and gun control lawsuit
Election Day is almost here. Abortions at clinics declined in Ohio after the Dobbs decision. A Franklin County judge ruled on a three-year-old lawsuit, and in-person early voting is up while mail-in ballots are down.
We break down what it all means in this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. It's a podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau that catches you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less.
This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Jessie Balmert.
1) Closing arguments
Republican J.D. Vance and Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan made a final pitch to voters this week during a televised town hall hosted by Fox News.
Ryan defended his support for the Inflation Reduction Act while saying Americans need a tax cut in the short term since the benefits of that legislation won't be felt immediately.
Vance, on the other hand, campaigned against federal spending, saying it's making inflation rates worse.
2) Gun laws vs home rule
Columbus won a temporary ban this week on a portion of state law prohibiting cities from passing local gun restrictions three years after it filed the lawsuit.
Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday, writing that Columbus is likely to succeed in its suit because the 2019 law "violates the home rule provisions of the Ohio Constitution."
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office said it intends to appeal the decision.
3) Early voting tea leaves
Absentee ballot requests are down but early voting is up, according to figures released Tuesday by the Ohio Secretary of State's office.
Ohioans have cast nearly 50% more early in-person ballots than a week before the 2018 election, and Hamilton County ballots are almost twice what they were at this point in the last midterm election.
Still, the sluggish pace of mail-in ballots is worrying some Democrats who fear lower turnout in Ohio's major cities could mean a Republican sweep of statewide offices.
More:Inflation, abortion, crime on Ohio voters' minds for the 2022 election season
4) Abortion after Dobbs
Abortions in Ohio dropped by 65% in the months after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections, according to a national reporting effort sponsored by the Society of Family Planning.
But how many of those women decided to continue their pregnancy isn't known yet.
The report noted that neighboring states like Illinois saw a 28% increase in abortions between April and August. Indiana increased by 15%, and Michigan rose by 8%, according to the report's estimates.
Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Explained: Election turnout, abortion decline and gun control
