Rotunda Rumblings
Securing or Suppressing: Trump’s executive order on how states run their elections aims to tighten security by punishing those that don’t comply with a loss of federal funding. Anna Staver reports that Ohio already does much of what the president outlined, but some state laws, like not counting mail ballots after Election Day, would need to be changed. Republicans say they’re open to that idea while voting rights groups and professors say the order could be unconstitutional. This will be your story
Off the road? President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he’ll impose 25% tariffs on all vehicles imported to the United States in a move that critics fear could drive up consumer car prices and disrupt U.S. car makers who ship cars and parts across international borders, Sabrina Eaton and Molly Walsh write. In Northeast Ohio, industry experts are assessing the potential consequences for the region’s auto sector, and much remains uncertain. How will the tariffs affect employment in an industry that has traditionally been one of the state’s economic engines? And how much of the burden will Ohio car buyers shoulder?
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Polling place: The voting locations for more than 70,000 voters were changed by elections officials after the city of Cleveland redrew its ward maps. Now, Sean McDonnell writes, Cleveland City Council is ringing alarm bells to make sure that residents are aware. Some polling location changes were expected, because Cleveland will go from having 17 to 15 wards because of population loss in the 2020 U.S. census. But council members said in a news release Thursday that 29% of voters have a new polling place — and that even in wards that didn’t see much change, voters have been impacted.
Body cams: Five police departments in Northeast Ohio are among 21 across the state that will receive funding to buy body-worn cameras. Olivia Mitchell writes that the money is part of nearly $4.6 million the state will dole out for departments across Ohio. The money also will help departments upgrade old cameras, expand storage capacity and hire people to help with the cameras.
Altered plans: What was supposed to be a three-day trip to Greenland by Second Lady Usha Vance is now just a single day at a military base with her husband, Vice President, JD Vance, USA Today reports. Greenland experts the publication interviewed said many in Greenland welcome the idea of inviting American companies to the territory to invest in mining, tourism or fisheries, but object to the idea of a political takeover.
Disdain for Europe: European leaders had hoped that Vance’s antagonism was a political show to build domestic support, The Wall Street Journal writes. Now, after Vance expressed disdain for Europe in a private text chat about Yemen attack details, officials are coming to terms with a vocal vice president whose antipathy for Europe appears to run deep.
DOGE close: The Department of Government Efficiency says it will close 47 Social Security Administration offices this year, including one in Mansfield, Ohio, according to the Associated Press. The closures are part of DOGE’s plan to save money by terminating hundreds of federal real estate leases. The Columbus Dispatch reports that another office in Columbus was also listed for possible closure this year, but it had no official termination date.
Buckeye Brain Tease
Question: Let’s play ball! The Cleveland Guardian season is officially underway. We all know they used to be the Cleveland Indians, but do you know what two animals briefly became part of the team’s name?
Email your response to capitolletter@cleveland.com. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.
Thanks to everyone who answered our last trivia question: A 1942 U.S. Supreme Court case dramatically increased the regulatory power of the federal government involved a Dayton-area farmer who was growing what?
Answer: Wheat. The landmark 1942 case of Wickard V. Filburn, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can regulate even local activities—like a farmer growing wheat for himself—if, when added up, those activities have a big impact on the national economy.
Capitol Letter reader Rob Kirchstein from Plain Township was the first to email with the correct answer.
On the Move
The Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund has endorsed Issue 2, a measure on the May 6 primary ballot to renew a state bond program that helps local governments pay for infrastructure projects. The group also endorsed local candidates in Akron, Cincinnati, Columbus, Hilliard, Dayton, Lorain, and Toledo.
Birthdays
Friday, March 28: Tiffany Bonner, Ohio House journal clerk; Terese Herhold, Ohio Senate Democrats’ director of policy, budget, and finance; Ben Kindel, press secretary for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose; former State Rep. Paul Zeltwanger
Saturday, March 29: Jason Sponaugle, legislative aide to state Rep. Adam Mathews; Bill Behrendt, non-profit lobbyist/consultant and the Director of Government Affairs for Columbus College of Art & Design
Sunday, March 30: State Rep. Scott Lipps; Karalyn Wright, legislative aide for state Rep. Beth Liston
Straight from the Source
“Just the Vice President of the United States sending some freedom seeds downrange. Doesn’t get more American than that.”
The White House’s official account on X. It posted that text with an image of Vice President JD Vance dressed in camouflage firing a military rifle at a shooting range.
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