What your vote means when it comes to abortion access • The lede: Abortion access isn’t directly on the ballot Nov. 5, but it’s also not far from voters’ minds following a tumultuous two years since Roe v. Wade protections were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. • Shifting landscape: Since the question of abortion access was thrown to the states, many have either allowed their existing abortion bans to go into effect or, in the case of Ohio, voted for major protections for bodily autonomy. • What’s at stake: At the federal level, there’s talk of codifying a national abortion ban of some sort, which would trump Ohio’s constitutional protections. At the state level, three seats are up for grabs on the Ohio Supreme Court, which could either give Democrats a 4-to-3 majority or see them outnumbered by as much as 6-to-1 as the court prepares to begin interpreting the state’s new abortion-rights amendment. Federal, state investigation “ongoing” in Springfield • The lede: State and federal law enforcement agencies are leading an “ongoing” investigation into concerns about human trafficking involving Haitian immigrants and staffing agencies within the city. • The start: The city provided this outlet with a letter a city official sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in October 2023 requesting “formal assistance” to investigate various areas, including alleged unfair housing for Haitian immigrants, unlicensed transportation services shuttling Haitians around, and employment agencies being accused of “falsifying or overlooking required documents to employ immigrants legally.” • Where things stand: A spokesperson for the city said BCI, the federal Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are conducting investigations. None of the agencies have commented on the investigations so far. Local political news of the week • County treasurer: This year’s race for Montgomery County treasurer features two candidates — incumbent Republican John McManus and Democrat Mohamed Al-Hamdani — who differ on how aggressive that office should be when a citizen falls behind on paying his or her taxes. Eric Schwartzberg has the story. • Commission friction: Political control over the three-member Montgomery County Commission is at stake this November as two Democratic incumbents try to fend of Republican challenges. Here are the Sydney Dawes’ previews of the race between Mary McDonald and Debbie Liberman, as well as Judy Dodge and Kate Baker. • Bye-blight: More than $5 million in newly-awarded state funding is being used to tear down 150 vacant and blighted properties in Montgomery County, which is expected to have a “huge” local impact. Cornelius Frolik has the story. State political news of the week • Election directions: This week, the Ohio Secretary of State won a court victory and reiterated his new directive: Unmanned drop boxes can only be used by voters dropping off their own ballot. Those dropping off other people’s ballots (which is allowed in limited circumstances) cannot use the drop box. They must return the ballot inside their board of election, along with a form attesting that they are not illegally ballot harvesting. Josh Sweigart and Michael Pitman have the story. • Suburb Ohio House race: Incumbent GOP state Rep. Andrea White of Kettering faces Democratic challenger Rose Lounsbury over House District 36, which covers most of Dayton’s eastern suburbs and is slated to be one of the closest state legislative races in the area. Nick Blizzard has the preview. • Clark County Senate race: Springfield’s Kyle Koehler, a Republican former state lawmaker, is eyeing a return to the Statehouse by way of Clark, Greene and Clinton counties’ Senate District 10, but Democratic political newcomer Dan McGregor of Beavercreek hopes to block his path. Jessica Orozco has the preview. • Fed says no more lead: Ohio is set to receive a minimum of $56.2 million from the federal government following a Biden Administration directive for all states to find and replace water service lines made of lead within 10 years. The project is expected to cost billions. Here’s my story. National political news of the week • Dave Hobson remembered: The death of Springfield’s longtime U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson earlier this month prompted a bipartisan outpouring of affection and admiration for the Republican who brought more than half a billion dollars of federal earmarks back to the community over his congressional career. Lynn Hulsey has the story. | 
