Wondering who to vote for? Guide has Portage candidate, ballot info
About the voting guide
This voter’s guide is a joint venture of the Record-Courier and the League of Women Voters of Kent and Northern Portage County.
The League of Women Voters of Kent and Northern Portage County are non-partisan political organizations that encourage the informed and active participation of citizens in government, work to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influence public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to all citizens of voting age, male or female. The League is funded by members’ dues and contributions from members and non-members. Donations are welcome. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.
There are two parts to this guide:
Part 1: Candidates at the state and local level.
US Senator — Information on candidates will be available at www.VOTE411.org and is provided by the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund.
US Congress — Information on candidates will be available at www.VOTE411.org (subject to change)
Judicial races in Ohio — Judicial Votes Count (www.judicialvotescount.org) invited all judicial candidates in Ohio to participate. Check their website for information.
Ohio State Executive Offices — Information on candidates will be available at www.VOTE411.org and is provided by the League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund.
Ohio Senate, Ohio House, and State Central Committee — On March 16, 2022, the Supreme Court of Ohio invalidated the Ohio General Assembly district plan adopted on February 24, 2022. Therefore these races will not appear on the May 3, 2022 Primary Election ballot. (Portage County Board of Elections)
Democratic County Central Committee — All precincts in Portage County had either one candidate or no candidate filed. The candidates were not invited to participate in the voter guide.
Portage County Administrative Offices —The LWV of Kent asked the candidates to provide biographical information and to answer questions. The candidates were invited to participate by entering their responses on the VOTE411 website in accordance with the following guidelines.
The League of Women Voters of Kent reserves the right not to publish any material determined to be libelous, damaging to a person or group, or offensive in accordance with the League’s values and as outlined in its publishing policy. It reserves the right to offer alternative wording to the candidate. The League will not correct spelling, grammar or punctuation. Each candidate is solely responsible for the text they submit, including the truth of his/her statements. Each candidate is advised in writing to carefully note the word limitations listed on their questionnaire since no text beyond the word limit will be included. A candidate’s answers are accepted and printed only with the understanding that the material will not be used in any way that may be deemed to be an endorsement by the League of his or her candidacy or views.
Visit VOTE411.org to view a side-by-side comparison of the candidates’ biographical information and answers.
Part 2: Issues on the ballot in Portage County — the League of Women Voters of Kent prepared this section using the information obtained from the Portage County Board of Elections and information provided either by the entity placing the issue on the ballot or the Portage County Auditor.
The League of Women Voters of Kent and Northern Portage County thank the Record-Courier for providing the print version of the Voter’s Guide. We also thank Director Faith Lyon, Deputy Director Theresa Nielsen, and the staff at the Portage County Board of Elections for their valuable assistance in compiling this material. The information may not be reproduced without consent of the League of Women Voters of Kent.
League of Women Voters of Kent
President: Deborah Barber
Voter Guide Co-Chairs: Nena Hankins, 330-673-0128 and Barbara Hipsman Springer
League of Women Voters of Northern Portage County
Voter Service Co-Chairs: Raji Alladi and Janice Simmons-Mortimer
CANDIDATES ON BALLOTS IN PORTAGE COUNTY
Governor/Lt. Governor
Vote for no more than 1
Question: What are the most pressing policy issues facing Ohio? What solutions will you promote?
John Cranley/Teresa Fedor (Dem)
Website: https://www.johncranley.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mayor.cranley
Twitter: @twitter.com/JohnCranley
Education: Xavier High School; John Carroll University, BA (magna cum laude); Harvard Law School, JD; Harvard Divinity School, Master in Theological Studies
Training and Experience: Former Cincinnati Mayor and Co-Founder of the Ohio Innocence Project
Answer: Jobs and the economy are the most pressing issues to Ohioans. As governor, I will create 30,000 jobs every year that pay at least $60,000 per year and do not require a college degree, rebuilding roads and bridges, expanding broadband Wifi access to the entire state and creating advanced manufacturing and renewable energy jobs. Secondly, I will help pay for those jobs by legalizing and taxing adult-use marijuana. Finally, take on inflation by halting the gas tax and providing Ohio middle-class families with a yearly energy dividend funded by energy profits, similar to that of Alaska and North Dakota.
The following candidates for Governor/Lt. Governor have not responded:
Nan Whaley/Cheryl L. Stephens (Dem)
Joe Blystone/Jeremiah W. Workman (Rep)
Mike DeWine/Jon Husted (Rep)
Ron Hood/Candice Keller (Rep)
Jim Renacci/Joe Knopp (Rep)
Attorney General
Vote for no more than 1
Jeffrey A. Crossman (Dem)
Dave Yost (Rep)
Auditor of State
Vote for no more than 1
Keith Faber (Rep)
Taylor Sappington (Dem)
Secretary of State
Vote for no more than 1
Chelsea Clark (Dem)
John Adams (Rep)
Frank LaRose (Rep)
Treasurer of State
Vote for no more than 1
Scott Schertzer (Dem)
Robert Sprague (Rep)
U.S. Senator
Vote for no more than 1
Question 1: What is the most pressing policy issue facing the federal government? What solutions will you promote?
Question 2: What is your position on efforts to protect our water, air, and land? Include how you will address climate change.
Morgan Harper (Dem)
Website: http://morganharper.org
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mh4oh
Twitter: @twitter.com/mh4oh
Education: Tufts University (Bachelors Degree), Princeton University (Master of Public Affairs), Stanford Law School (Juris Doctor)
Training and Experience: Recent experience: Director of Policy and Advocacy/Senior Advisor, American Economic Liberties Project, July 2020-August 2021 (on leave); Vice President, Knowledge Management & Strategy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), March 2017-June 2019; Senior Advisor, Office of the Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), February 2016-February 2017; Special Advisor, Office of the Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), January 2015-February 2016
Answer 1: Over the past 40 years, concentrated power in almost every sector of the economy has made it more difficult for American workers, small businesses, and communities to succeed. This concentration has led to increased prices for everything from insulin, gas, and food, as well as lower wages and worse health outcomes. As part of my Opportunity Guarantee Plan, I would push for antitrust reform and better competition policy to address the concentration issue at the federal level to increase innovation, raise wages, lower prices, and ensure small and medium-sized businesses can grow. At one point, Ohio had more high-paying jobs than any state in the country. Today, we have one of the lowest. This is the unacceptable result of decades of manufacturing jobs getting shipped overseas. We need to stop multinational corporations from outsourcing jobs to low-paying, union-busting countries and dodging their taxes, and instead, create secure, high-paying jobs here at home.
Answer 2: I am strongly in favor of efforts to protect our water, air, and land. Protecting the future is one of the greatest challenges of our generation, but it’s also an opportunity – and Ohio can be a leader in getting us there. We must recognize that climate solutions will create well-paying union jobs for Ohioans. We need immediate federal investments to create as many as 600K clean energy jobs over the next 10 years. Wind turbine technicians make, on average, $52K per year, and represent one of the best maintenance and repair jobs in the country. We also must vastly improve our transportation infrastructure so workers have a reliable and safe route to work, while cutting back on emissions. We must create incentives for electric vehicle (EV) ownership and rapidly invest in building out the infrastructure to support those vehicles. And we can invest in making existing housing stock more energy efficient to address the climate crisis while also increasing housing supply.
The following candidates have not responded:
Traci TJ Johnson (Dem)
Tim Ryan (Dem)
Matt Dolan (Rep)
Mike Gibbons (Rep)
John…
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