Ohio Politics Explained: Voter registration deadline looms, abortion opponents march
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Opponents of abortion marched on Columbus this week while Ohio's Republican governor pitched a number of ideas for making the state a better place to have a baby.
We break down what that means on this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau where we catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Haley BeMiller.
1) Oh, baby
Gov. Mike DeWine says he wants Ohio to be "the best place in the nation to have a baby and raise a family."
And he's asking state lawmakers to eliminate the sales tax on diapers, raise Medicaid's income limit for pregnant women and extend the paid maternity leave for state employees from six weeks to 12 weeks.
The governor's spokesperson said DeWine would be pitching these ideas even if Ohio Republicans weren't planning to pass a full ban on abortion, but Democrats didn't buy it.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said Democrats have been unsuccessfully introducing bills for years to accomplish most of what the governor just proposed.
2) The fight for Toledo
Which political party controls the U.S. House of Representatives for the next two years will depend, in part, on who wins Ohio's 9th Congressional District. Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is facing a political newcomer, Republican J.R. Majewski.
Majewski won former President Donald Trump's endorsement, and the newly drawn district is pretty much split 50/50 between registered Republicans and Democrats.
On paper, the seat should be a win for Republicans, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball. "But it’s an unusual circumstance."
Majewski claimed to be a combat veteran in Afghanistan, but military records obtained by The Associated Press showed him deploying to Qatar where he helped load planes. Records also revealed that he was demoted after driving under the influence while stationed at the air base in Japan.
3) March for Life
Ohioans who oppose abortion rallied at the statehouse this week and called for a law that says life begins at conception.
"Life does not just begin at the time the heartbeat is detected. Life begins at conception," said Rep. Jena Powell, R-Arcanum. "The shackles are no longer holding us back as state legislators, and we can and we must be a voice for unborn children here in the state of Ohio."
The Republican-controlled legislature is making plans to potentially pass a total abortion ban after the November election, but whether it will go as far as Powell wants remains to be seen. Concerns have been raised on both sides of the aisle about how a bill like this might impact birth control and IVF procedures.
4) Voter registration ends Oct. 11
If you want to vote in the November midterm election, the deadline to register is Oct. 11.
Ohioans can both register and update their information (in case you moved) using the Secretary of State's online voter registration system. Or voters can visit their local county boards of election.
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 Politics: Right to Life march, voter deadlines and parental leave
