Primary Election May 3
While there has been confusion over redistricting, the Primary Election is still on. There are nominating races for state office (Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Secretary of State and Treasurer), state supreme court (Chief Justice and Justice), US Congress (Senator and Representative), Federal Court of Appeals Judge, County Offices (Commissioner and Auditor) and County Party Central Committee member as well as local tax issues depending on your precinct. Due to redistricting concerns, there are no races for state senator or representative.
Absentee voting has begun. You may request an absentee ballot by mail from the Madison County Board ofElections (see the BoE information at the end of this newsletter). In person absentee voting is in progress at the Board of Elections office through May 2 and the polls will be open at the usual locations on May 3.
We encourage you to request a Democratic ballot vs requesting a Republican ballot to vote against a candidate, the purpose of a Primary Election is to nominate candidates for your (Democratic) party.
Are you concerned about what the Republicans are up to?
Spring is coming, the signs are clear and unmistakable. Every evening we get a TV diet of Gibbons, Vance, Timken and Mandel trying to “out Trump” each other in their rage against… well, you name it, illegal immigrants, Biden, “leftists”, CRT, or whatever the hate-theory of the day happens to be. No suggestions for fixing anything – they
don’t do that. And then there is the running amok Ohio General Assembly easily passing ill-advised at best, and dangerous at worst, laws with barely a whisper of a challenge. Let’s take a quick look as some of the recent activities of our elected Republican representatives:
Open Carry legislation: if you’re not otherwise prohibited from owning a firearm, carry your gun openly – no permit or training required. S.B. 215. Feel safer yet?
Stand-Your-Ground. It’s now okay to kill someone who invades “your space”, whatever that may be; S.B. 175.
Or consider the current “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, vague enough to force teachers to refrain from any comments about gender identity for fear of losing their jobs; H.B. 616.
And there’s the race issue, CRT. Look at both H.B. 322 and H.B. 606 as a legislative muzzle on discussion in public schools.
Reinforcing the legislative assault on what is taught in Ohio’s public schools is the expanding school voucher legislation, which will substantially eliminate the “problem” of public schools by siphoning critical education funds to private and religious schools (where they are free to teach whatever they want); H.B. 290. If successful, Ohio’s public schools will become a shadow of the public education system that has made our state great.
The list goes on, but let’s cut to the heart of the matter. In open defiance of not only the Ohio Constitution, but also clear and direct orders of the Ohio Supreme Court “our” Republican legislators have now, four times in succession, refused to adopt lawful electoral districts for both the Ohio legislature and Ohio’s congressional representatives.
Gerrymandered electoral districts lie at the heart of the problem In Ohio because many Republican legislators live in “safe” districts in which their reelection is virtually assured. Because of that, they owe no allegiance to the people in their districts. They are free to follow the dictates of far-right billionaires and try to make Ohio look like Florida, or Texas. And they are doing just that.
Ohio’s voters overwhelmingly voted to change that system by enacting amendments to the Ohio constitution to ensure a fair and open process for drawing electoral district boundaries, free from partisan favoritism. Yet, our Republican leadership has virtually thumbed its nose at the Ohio electors, and now the Ohio Supreme Court, by ignoring the mandates of the new constitutional provisions. Worse yet, the willful violation of direct orders of the Ohio Supreme Court is an affront to the constitution each of them swore to uphold before taking office.
Are you angry yet? We are. The very concept of our democracy encompasses elected representatives acting in the interests of the people in their district. Yet, these Republicans don’t represent you or me, they don’t represent the non-affiliated voters and they don’t represent most of those who identify as Republicans. Instead, their record clearly demonstrates that they take their orders from others. We need legislators who will represent us, and deal with the real, day-to-day problems in our state rather than political ideology.
This is why the Madison County Democratic Party is working to bring about change. Read on to learn some of the exciting things we’re planning for this critical election year.
Candidates Visiting Madison County
We have been fortunate to have several prominent candidates visit our county. First, on February 10 we hosted a “meet and greet” with Senate candidate Tim Ryan.

At our regular February meeting, Nan Whaley, former mayor of Dayton and Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, visited us and gave a stirring presentation to the membership. Danny Kilgore, who tried and failed to get on the ballot as a candidate for Congress in the 15th District, and Dan Saks, candidate for State Democratic Central Committee, were also in attendance and spoke briefly.

In March we hosted John Cranley, former mayor of Cincinnati and Democratic Candidate for Governor.

At our April 18 meeting we anticipate hosting Judge Terri Jamison, candidate for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.
Each of these races is critical. For example, the Democrat’s fragile majority in the U.S. Senate is at risk and for Ohio, any of the “Pro God, pro-gun, pro Trump” republican candidates are telling us exactly what we will get from them if elected. For Governor, we could have someone with the fortitude to stand up to the right-wing demagogues in the General Assembly. We have two excellent, capable candidates, and thoughtful choice and active support for the winning candidate is urgently needed from all of us.
Of all these important offices, the Ohio Supreme Court is perhaps the most important. So important that the Republican Legislature passed a special law requiring that candidates for that office be identified by political party on the ballot. Ohio has, up to now, clung to the notion that the judiciary should be free from politics and not politically identified on the ballot. The significance of this change goes directly to the gerrymandering problem.
With a four to three majority on the Ohio Supreme Court, the Republicans anticipated a “rubber stamp” approval of their electoral district maps and were, no doubt, surprised when Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who actually read the Constitution, joined the three Democrats on the Court and threw out the bogus maps, now three times in succession. The nerve, right?
Now, we hear public cries for impeachment of Chief Justice O’Connor from the offended Republicans, as if her “crime” were non-partisan voting on a case. Chief Justice O’Connor’s term ends at the end of this year, and she is unable to run again. The integrity that she brought to the challenges to legislative districts is at risk of being lost. Her Republican-chosen successor, Justice Sharon Kennedy, has been openly critical of the Court’s involvement in the gerrymandering decisions. We will hear from the Democratic Candidate, Judge Terri Jamison, on April 18.
What Can I Do?
People who recognize the peril in which our democracy struggles look for answers; “what can I do to change this?” There are no easy answers. We are a small family in a large fight. But there are things you can and should do. Here are a few of them for starters:
Join us. We meet every third Monday at the Madison County Engineer’s Office, located at 825 US 42 NE, London, Ohio (entrance between McDonald’s and Wendy’s) at 7:00 pm. Sharing an hour with kindred spirits will help you.
Support Us. All politics are local, and money is the lifeblood of campaigns. We support candidates, we provide citizenship awards for area high school graduates and, we donate to Madison County food banks. Donations to our party can be made through our ActBlue link found on our Facebook page or on our website: www.madisoncountyohdems.com. You can also mail us a check at PO Box 807, London, Ohio 43140
Help Us. There is a great deal of work to be done. Does your voting precinct have a Democratic captain? We should have a captain for each precinct in Madison County. In addition, there are letters and postcards to write, parades to be part of and candidates to support. You can make a difference!
Make a List. Chances are you know someone who feels like you do about the current state of affairs in Madison County. Forget political labels, make a contact list and share your information with them. Ask to be added to their information distribution lists. Provide them your contact information and then share contact information with us to help us expand communications to those who need to know.
Citizenship Awards
The Madison County Democrats have traditionally sponsored annual citizenship awards to outstanding graduates of the four public high schools in the county. This year is no exception and, under the oversight of Cheryl Brockman, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, invitations have been extended and applications are under review.
Madison County Board of Elections
1423 State Route 38 SE (just north of Fairhaven School)
London, OH 43140
Phone: (740) 852-9424
Fax: (740) 852-7131
Email: madison@ohiosos.gov
In-Office Absentee Voting Hours:
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – Friday, April 8 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Monday, April 11, 2022 – Friday, April 15 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Monday, April 18, 2022 – Friday, April 22 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Monday, April 25, 2022 – Friday, April 29 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 30 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sunday, May 1 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Monday, May 2 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
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