Ohio absentee ballot applications are in the mail: What you need to know
Ohio sends all voters absentee ballot request forms during presidential and midterm election years. But this cycle, the state’s forms are hitting mailboxes amid President Trump’s push to overhaul mail-in voting.
Election 2026
Ohio governor candidates have concerns about Flock cameras. Here’s what they said
Neither major candidate has proposed eliminating Flock cameras altogether as privacy concerns about the company’s extensive surveillance network have gained political traction on the right and the left.
Amy Acton is betting that breaking with Democrats can help win Ohio
Amy Acton’s positions on a few key issues have set her apart from her own running mate and much of her party. Critics call it pandering; supporters call it savvy politics for a red-leaning state.
Amy Acton backs Issue 3, the voter ID amendment, breaking with Ohio Democrats
The Democratic governor candidate says she’ll support the voter ID amendment, putting her on the same page as her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy.
GOVERNMENT
An Ohio judge was kicked off the bench and suspended. He’s still on the November ballot
The Ohio Supreme Court kicked Jon Ickes off the bench and suspended his law license. But the board of elections kept him on the ballot, and his opponent has asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
EDUCATION
Ohio universities spend tens of thousands on new syllabus rule, records show
For the first time this fall, institutions must publicly share details about undergraduate classes to comply with Senate Bill 1.
HEALTH
A new data center wants to build a natural gas power plant near an Ohio lake town
Policymakers hope “behind the meter” power plants will enable the tech sector to keep building data centers without spiking electric bills. But locals say they don’t want to be stuck breathing in the millions of tons of emissions.
STATE SIGNALS NEWSLETTER
How one Pennsylvania billionaire is tipping the scales in Ohio’s governor race
Ohio politics news and insights from the State Signals newsletter. Plus, Amy Acton is aiming for the center in red-leaning Ohio.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Millions of addictive, opioid-like kratom drinks have flown off gas station shelves in Ohio
Company data filed in court shows nearly 59,000 addictive kratom drinks were sold each day in Ohio before a recent ban took hold. One doctor said he’s treating as many patients for kratom withdrawal as for fentanyl.
NEWS FROM NOTUS
DOGE Cut Off Small Town America’s 250th Birthday Money
Ohio Humanities was planning history projects for the 250th when DOGE axed its funding last year. Then Trump redirected federal money for his own beautification projects.
Local Newsrooms
Signal Ohio is a nonprofit statewide network of local newsrooms.
Why Local News
Local news is in crisis. Across the country, including here in Ohio, the commercial news industry has been on the decline, leading to the loss of nearly three-quarters of journalism jobs since 2005, leading to less accountability, more polarization, and more government waste. With the volume of original reporting in Ohio communities reduced to a small fraction of what it once was, nonprofit news offers a path forward