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The voter I.D. requirement for absentee ballots in Ohio is now on, thanks to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. It's the third change in four days. 

Operating the ballot is somewhat less risky than flying so a photo I.D. is not required.  A utility bill will do.  And there is no need to remove your shoes.

While you need an I.D. you don't need a stamp.  The U.S. Postal Service has announced it will subsidize the absentee ballots.

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A New York Times story claims that internal Republican polls show incumbent Mike DeWine to be far behind in the race to save his senate seat from the Huey Long of Ohio Politics, Sherrod Brown.  The  Times says  the party is building a firewall to protect the states where it can win.  That means moving their chips from DeWine's Ohio campaign to races in Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia.

In a Beacon Journal story Republican leaders say the Times lies:

SurveyUSA conducted by three Ohio TV stations shows Brown ahead of DeWine 54 percent to 40 percent, with 6 percent undecided.

Jay Cost at Real Clear Politics is suspicious of the Times story too.

The Quinnipiac University poll, out this morning, has Brown ahead 53-41 percent.  You decide.

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Ohio Republican Congressman Bob Ney has agreed to admit to federal corruption charges.  He has not agreed to resign his Congressional seat.  Jim Traficant, the last congressman to pull this stunt, had his seat pulled from under him.

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Strickland and Blackwell agreed on one thing in their first Ohio gubernatorial debate.  Stupid rules.

They refused to appear on screen at the same time and reporters weren't allowed in the studio to witness the debate live.

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Before leaving the polls, Ohio voters used to be given "I Voted Today" stickers.  Like the government, the stickers have expanded.  They now read, "I Voted Today  Change Our World Vote Your Conscience". 

Not quite as pithy as "Live Free or Die".

The slogan comes from a 20 point character building program called Uncommon Sense which has been adopted by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. The program was written by the Assistant Secretary of State and a business consultant.

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The city of Norwood, Ohio used its power of eminent domain to take an 11 acre site in a deteriorating neighborhood and turn it over to a private developer.  The plan was to build a 125 million dollar shopping and office complex.  Seventy homeowners sold but three fought the case in court.  A lower court offered 3 times the appraised value of the houses but the homeowners fought on to the Ohio Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme court had ruled in favor of similar economic takings in Kelo v New London, Connecticut.  The Ohio Supreme ruled in favor of property rights, unanimously rejecting the U.S. Kelo ruling. 

The homeowners castles have been returned.  After a three year court battle, the three dilapidated structures are the only houses still standing on the site next to a busy highway.

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I like negative campaigns. U.S. Senator Mike DeWine didn't disappoint me.  He wanted to show that his opponent, Sherrod Brown, is weak on defense.  His campaign produced the obligatory 9/11 Smoldering Twin Trade Towers ad.  Except it didn't.  It showed a doctored photo with smoke coming out of the south tower but not the north tower.

Impossible says a U.S. News.Com investigation.  The north tower was hit first and there should be smoke coming from it.

"I can't tell you why graphics people do things," , said DeWine, blaming his staff.  Neither can I.

Sherrod Brown was understanding: "Mike DeWine has always run campaigns with … distortions," Brown told U.S. News. "And this is another example."

And this is just the beginning.

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Ken Blackwell is the Republican nominee for Governor in Ohio.

The Ohio economy ranks 47th in the U.S. in job creation.
Government spending in Ohio has risen 20% faster than personal income over the last 10 years. Taxes are high, third highest in the country according to the Tax Foundation. And the city schools stink.

Republicans run the state and besides doing it poorly, they seem to do it illegally.  Workers Comp invested $50 million in a rare coin scheme through a Republican coin dealer who has since been indicted on 53 felony counts.

The rap on Blackwell is that he's different.  The fact that powerbrokers here consider that to be a problem may be Ohio's problem.

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Ohio Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, beat Attorney General, Jim Petro, in a nasty Republican Primary for Governor.

Each candidate featured a TV ad calling the other a hypocrite.

Blackwell has always appealed to Christian voters.  Petro, who says he's "not one to campaign in a way that puts my faith on my sleeve", put his faith on his sleeve.  In an effort to save either his campaign or his soul, his TV ads featured a bible and a baptismal certificate.