Democratic News

COLUMBUS –House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following the news that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87 from complications of cancer.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon), and Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) expressed disappointment today after Governor Mike DeWine decided to issue a waiver of his public health orders for political rallies, including an upcoming presidential rally in Toledo on Monday.

COLUMBUS –Ahead of the first-ever National Black Voter Day on Sept. 18, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) issued a statement calling for action to eliminate systemic barriers to voting in Ohio. The call comes as the Ohio Senate considers House Bill (HB) 680, the GOP election bill that would create new voting restrictions like shortening the time for voters to request absentee ballots, eliminating the ability for the secretary of state to prepay return postage for ballot materials, and barring the Health Director and other officials from affecting the conduct of elections—even in the interest of public health.

COLUMBUS –House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following Governor Mike DeWine’s creation of a new dashboard for parents and caregivers that provides information about cases, hospitalizations and deaths among Ohio’s children. DeWine today referred to the statistic that Black children make up 45% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations but only 18% of the population as “troubling.”

COLUMBUS— State Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) responded today to developments in a lawsuit against Secretary of State Frank LaRose about his limiting all Ohio counties to one ballot drop box per county. Yesterday, a Franklin County judge declared LaRose’s actions “arbitrary” and “unreasonable,” but Sec. LaRose continued to instruct counties they could have no more than one drop box. The court has now ordered LaRose to answer for himself by today at 3 p.m. 

COLUMBUS –House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) participated in a virtual press conference with other House Democratic lawmakers to discuss legislative solutions that are needed as the state faces multiple unprecedented crises. The Ohio House was scheduled to meet for an if-needed House session today, but Speaker Robert Cupp canceled this session on Friday, Sept. 11.

COLUMBUS – House Democrats slammed GOP lawmakers on the Controlling Board Monday for refusing to approve funds to cover the cost of absentee ballot postage for Ohio voters ahead of the November election.

COLUMBUS— State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) responded to today’s refusal by the state Controlling Board to grant the Secretary of State’s last minute request for additional authority to pay return postage for absentee ballots. Sec. LaRose recently mailed absentee ballot applications to registered Ohio voters without including return postage. Sweeney has been urging LaRose for months to use the existing authority of his office to pay return postage for both ballot applications and absentee ballots.

COLUMBUS –House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement on the 19^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

COLUMBUS –House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following reports that Governor Mike DeWine’s new health director Dr. Joan Duwve withdrew her acceptance hours after it was announced because she learned of the “harassment” Dr. Amy Acton had faced while she had the job.