If you have a question about the upcoming primary elections, you may find the answer in the WVXU voting guide. If you have a question about elections in general, you might try our feature OKI Wanna Know, where WVXU's Bill Rinehart has at least one answer.
Barb Fath of Butlerville in Warren County is one of the Ohio voters heading to the polls May 5, and she has a question.
"When we go in to vote on an issue, on the ballot is a summary of the issue. Where can we find the complete wording?" she asks. "I worked an election once and looked at the summaries on the ballot and was a little confused about what it was saying. So I wanted to find out more about the issue."
The issues have a few different sources. In Ohio, initiatives come from citizens. Referendums give voters a voice in whether a law should be adopted, kept or revoked. Amendments can come from citizens, or from the legislature.
Those are generally statewide issues. Local issues are often something like a bond or a tax. Any of them can be... wordy.
The Director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections Sherry Poland says for local issues, her office has to write a summary of what the issue would do, and include it on the ballot.
"Whatever the authority that put the question or issue on the ballot will submit proposed ballot language. For the most part, the board of elections will accept what was proposed," she says. "But we have templates. Local boards of elections then send our proposed ballot language to the secretary of state's office."
That's where the local issue's ballot language gets approved.
For an issue covering all of Ohio, the state ballot board will write the summary, so it doesn't take up three pages on the ballot.
Where you look for the full text depends, naturally, on where you are: Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana, and where the issue is local or statewide.
Poland says in Hamilton County there are a couple of places to find it.
"The full text is posted in every polling place on Election Day, as well as in our early voting center for those who chose to vote early in person."
Of course, if you want to read up on the issue before Election Day, the language will be online: either on the local election board's or the secretary of state's website.
"And state questions also contain arguments for and against the issue," Poland says. "That is also posted in the polling locations as well as on the secretary of state's website. When we have those statewide issues, we will post a link from our website to the secretary's website."
There are often people outside of the polls making arguments for and against issues too. Poland says they're campaigning and they have to stay outside.
"There's a campaign neutral zone that goes on inside the polling place as well as 100 feet from the entrance to the polling place," she says. "So there's no campaigning inside that neutral zone."
Poland says the boundary is usually marked by some small American flags and signs. She says those campaigners can hand out literature making their own points, but that's it. Inside is off-limits to politicking.
"If you are campaigning and if you have a t-shirt or a button, that says 'vote for so-and-so', or 'vote yes for this' or 'vote no for that' you do need to take that off or cover it up before you come inside the polling place."
The next election is the May 5 primary. Poland says in Ohio, there isn't a statewide issue on the ballot. In Hamilton County only five districts have local issues.
"It's three school districts as well as Delhi Township and the city of Reading. If you live in those areas you will have an issue to vote for. If you do not wish to participate in a party primary, you could ask for an issues-only ballot," she says. "For everyone else, it's just a primary."
Kentucky keeps it simple. The Commonwealth doesn't allow for citizen-led initiatives, so statewide issues are rare. But when there's a local issue, or a state constitutional amendment, the entire issue is on the ballot. It's not summarized.
Indiana law also doesn't have citizen-led initiatives. Hoosiers will see a proposed constitutional amendment in November. That will be written out in full as well.
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