The Ohio General Election is coming Nov. 4. There are a lot of candidates covering a lot of issues. This piece will cover the Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidate positions.
Which is better: the present situation of college tuition, or the overall future of Ohio’s economy and job prospect?
Dr. Paul Leonard, a former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and current political science professor at Wright State, says that college students are notoriously apathetic when it comes to voting.
"They either don’t vote, or they vote without taking time to educate themselves with respect to the candidates and their positions on the issues," said Leonard. "The result: the older generation is deciding what’s best for college students’ futures. Politicians know this, and that’s why their campaigns are not geared towards issues that affect college students.”
The current price of tuition at Wright State and all fellow universities in Ohio could change for the better if college students took time to vote, according to Leonard. “That will not change until and unless college students take to the polls and give voice to their needs," said Leonard.
THE CANDIDATES
Incumbent: Republicans John Kasich and Lt. Governor Mary Taylor
Their angle:
- Eliminated an $8 billion budget shortfall, the largest in state history, without raising taxes. Eliminated the death tax, cut income taxes by 10 percent and cut small business taxes in half.
- Cut taxes by $3 billion and increased jobs.
- Less money is given to schools to better the economy.
- Ohio has become a national leader in job creation under their changes.
- Enacted a comprehensive education reform agenda that set higher standards for student achievement with a new Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
- Revamping Ohio’s workforce training system to prepare Ohioans for jobs.
- Gov. Kasich coordinated a state energy policy that set forth a new, stable and safe regulatory climate.
- Gov. Kasich honored one grocery store chain for its participation to combat drug abuse, and he challenged other Ohio businesses to do the same.
According to Dr. Matthew Filipic, a Political Science professor at Wright State, Governor Kasich’s approach is less funding for Wright State, which according to him means a stronger economy. Dr. Filipic summarized that Republicans give less support to higher education but that money not spent on education and services saves funding for the state of Ohio, which means a greater economy and an increase amount in jobs for the future.
Dr. Leonard encourages students.
"Vote for your future, not the present. Insist that your representatives in both Columbus and Washington work together to move the country forward,” Leonard said.
For more information on Governor Kasich and Lt. Governor Taylor, visit kasichforohio.com.
Democrats Edward FitzGerald and Lt. Governor Sharen Swartz Neuhardt
Their angle:
- Believe in making Ohio work for everyone.
- FitzGerald serves as a husband, father, FBI agent, prosecutor, mayor, and Cuyahoga County Executive.
- He has defended victims of violence and domestic abuse.
- As County Executive, FitzGerald reduced government waste by tens of millions of dollars and used those savings to create four times more jobs than his predecessor.
- He has created the nation’s largest college affordability program.
- While balancing the budget every year, he also expanded the county’s pre-kindergarten program.
- FitzGerald claims that he will make college affordability one of the top priorities of his administration by creating universal college savings accounts and significantly increasing state-funded student financial aid.
- Would create savings plans for all five-year-olds when they enter kindergarten starting in the 2015-2016 school year.
- FitzGerald would also restore financial aid funding to its previous levels from before the Kasich administration to help more students finance their higher education.
- Will ease the burden of student loan debt by working with state and federal partners to allow Ohio’s graduates to refinance their repayment plans.
“Ohio needs to increase its investment in education, and economic diversification of its economic base," said Leonard. "Our educational system is not properly preparing young people for the kinds of jobs that will dot the Ohio landscape in the future."
Will lowering tuition and state taxes give us a positive job outlook for the future? "Democrats tend to believe in bigger budgets for services throughout the state and more education assistance, while focusing less on the overall economy," said Filipic.
For more information on Edward FitzGerald, visit edfitzgeraldforohio.com.
Green Party: Governor Anita Rios and Lt. Governor Bob Fitrakis
Their angle:
- These political partners made history by winning a place on the ballot through a write-in campaign.
- The Green Party calls for new regulations to halt the flow of phosphorus from fertilizers into Lake Erie and give incentives for Ohio farmers to adopt organic agriculture methods.
- Dislike authoritarianism.
- Rios pledges to significantly lower tuition costs at all state funded colleges and universities.
- Will work towards allowing educators to receive broader assessment tools.
- Will reform and expand funding of public education.
- Pledges to end the closing of abortion clinics.
- Rios would like to implement amnesty for undocumented workers.
- Work to lobby for a higher living wage standard.
- Promote efforts to reverse the State’s ban on marriage equality.
- Commute all death sentences in Ohio.
For more information about these candidates, visit riosforgovernor.com.
Voting opens to the public Tuesday, Nov. 4. Local polling places will open 6:30 a.m. and will close at 7:30 p.m. Polling locations and sample ballots can be found here.
If you want to vote, you will need to provide identification. Voters can choose to use an Ohio driver's license or other documents showing that voter's name and address. Anyone without proper identification may use the last four digits of their social security number to cast a provisional ballot.
