VOTEr’s
HHH Guide HHH A special p u b l i c at i o n of the y e l low s p r i n g s n e ws
2017
About this Guide The Voter’s Guide 2017 contains information about the local candidates and the state issues that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot for Yellow Springs and Miami Township residents. Candidates running for local office were invited to participate by submitting biographical information and responding to questions related to their contests. Asterisks (*) denote incumbent candidates. Polling location All village voters — those who live in precincts 440, 441, 442 and 443 — and Miami Township voters who live in precinct 456 vote at Antioch University Midwest’s Multipurpose Room. AUM is located at 900 Dayton St., Yellow Springs. For more information on directions, parking and accessibility, please contact AUM at 937-769-1818. Precinct 440 consists of most of the nor th side of town, and precinct 441 includes the western part of Yellow Springs. Precinct 442 consists of much of the central areas of the village and downtown. Precinct 443 includes the south end of Yellow Springs. Precinct 456 surrounds Yellow Springs and is bounded to the north by N. Enon Road, to the east by Meredith Road, to the west by Cornerstone Trail, and to the south by Hyde Road and a property line southeast of Hyde Road. Voters in Miami Township precinct 455 will vote at the Cedarville Baptist Church; the precinct includes the eastern portion of Miami Township, residences east of Grinnell and Bryan Park Roads. Voting times and dates remain the same as in recent years. Polls will be open on Tues-
day, Nov. 7, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Early voting Early voting for the Nov. 7 general election is held at the Greene County Board of Elections office, located at 551 Ledbetter Road in Xenia. On Thursday and Friday, Oct. 26 and 27, hours will be 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Hours will be extended Monday–Friday, Oct. 30–Nov. 3, 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Early voting hours will also be held Saturday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 5, 1–5 p.m., and Monday, Nov. 6, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Absentee ballots Voters applying for an absentee ballot are not required to state a reason, but they must provide either their Ohio driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number in order to receive a ballot. Absentee ballot requests must be mailed to the Board of Elections. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Saturday, Nov. 4, at noon; mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 6. Voters may drop off absentee ballots until 7:30 p.m. at the Ledbetter Road office. For more information, contact the Greene County Board of Elections at 5627470 or visit www.co.greene.oh.us/130/ Early-In-Person-Absentee-Information. Rides available The Yellow Springs Senior Center, 227 Xenia Ave., will provide rides to the polling location for the elderly or disbled. Call the Senior Center at 767-5751 two to three days in advance. The center is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
456
a l l p r e c i n c t s vote at Antioch University Midwest’s Multipurpose Room. AUM is located at 900 Dayton St.
N
440
456 441 442
456
yellow springs precincts and polling location
443
456
State Issues Voters will see two state issues, and no local or township issues, on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Issue 1 State Issue 1 is a constitutional amendment called a crime victim’s bill of rights, otherwise known as Marsy’s Law. It is named after a California woman who was murdered in 1983, and whose family came upon the accused murderer shortly after in the grocery store, not knowing he’d been released on bail. Funding for the petition that placed the bill on the ballot has been paid for by the brother of the murdered woman, who also lives in California. The bill would provide crime victims with specific constitutional rights, including the right to be treated with dignity and fairness; to be notified about proceedings; to be heard at proceedings involving release, plea, sentencing, disposition or parole of the accused; to be notified of the escape or release of the accused; to refuse an interview or deposition at the request of the accused; and to receive restitution from the individual who committed the crime. While Ohio already has a 1994 law that addresses the rights of crime victims, this law would replace the Ohio Victims’ Rights Amendent. Supporters of Issue 1 say that it will expand the legal rights and privileges of crime victims and inform them of their rights.
Opponents say that victims are already protected by Ohio law, and that Issue 1 will lead to increased litigation, delays and costs to taxpayers. The Ohio ACLU opposes Issue 1.
Issue 2 Issue 2 is the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. This bill would limit the amount the state and state agencies could pay for prescription drugs by requiring that costs paid by the state agencies be no more than that paid by the Veterans Administration, or VA. The agencies affected by the law include the Ohio Department of Aging, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Insurance, the Ohio Department of Medicaid and Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The bill would only affect those who receive drugs from those state agencies, not from private insurance, Medicare or other coverage. It would affect about 4 million Ohioans. Supporters say the bill would bring down health care costs directly for the 4 million who purchase drugs through state agencies, and indirectly through pressure on drug companies to follow suit. Supporters also estimate the savings to the state as from $350 to $400 million, which could be put to other uses. Opponents say the bill would only cover one third of Ohioans, and that drug companies could in fact respond by raising prices, therefore raising health care costs. Most of the $15 million funding from opponents, the largest ever spent on advertising for an Ohio state issue, is from the pharmaceutical industry.