Ohio lawmakers are officially on summer break and a hotly debated piece of legislation failed to pass before legislators signed off until October. “I’m hopeful that

Ohio's election integrity is set to improve with new budget provisions as highlighted by Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

I think Ohio has become something of a test subject state for seeing just how far a super majority can chip away at access to the ballot and our rights to direct democracy.”

Ohio is legally required to redraw its congressional district map ahead of the 2026 election, and early reports indicate that big changes could be coming.

Instead of an independent seven-member commission, the Senate proposes a five-member body known as the Ohio Election Integrity Commission housed in the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

Liz Skalka is a reporter based in Maryland. She was previously a senior political reporter at HuffPost and the Ohio politics writer for The Blade in Toledo. She was also a reporter and columnist for Hearst Connecticut Media Group and an editor at The New York Post.

Ohio could soon prosecute voter fraud more often, and the state unit charged with investigating potential fraud could become permanent. Secretary of State Frank LaRose applauded the Senate passage of Senate Bill 4 as a confidence boost for accurate elections and a message to offenders that prosecution could more readily come.

The proposals to overturn legislation overhauling higher education, eliminate property taxes and end qualified immunity will not be on the November ballot.

The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 4 to formalize the Election Integrity Unit, aimed at enforcing election integrity and enabling more effective prosecution of election fraud.

The newly-passed Ohio budget bill includes a provision that would require school board candidates to list their political party on the ballot.