COLUMBUS, Ohio- Secretary of State Frank LaRose has announced that his office has published a list of 158,857 inactive voter registrations eligible for removal from the Statewide Voter Registration Database, marking the latest action in a series of election integrity initiatives that he says are being implemented ahead of the November presidential election.

Ohio voters will also select who will be the U.S. senator in a contest between Republican nominee Bernie Moreno and incumbent Sherrod Brown, a seasoned Cleveland Democrat.

According to LaRose, a Republican, any inactive registration scheduled for removal may be restored to active status prior to July 22, 2024, if the registrant takes one of the following actions:

• Confirms or updates their voter registration, either online at VoteOhio.gov, by mail, or in-person; or

• Engages in voter activity, such as updating or confirming their address with a board of elections or the BMV, submitting an absentee ballot application, or signing a candidate or issue petition that is verified by a board of elections.

Democratic state lawmakers complain that the effort is nothing more than a scheme to purge voter rolls of possible Democratic voters, minorities and poor people, but LaRose says otherwise and that he is merely following the law.

“These registrations are eligible for removal under the law because records show they’re no longer residing or active at the registered address for at least the last four consecutive years,” said LaRose in a statement. “This list has been provided to my office by the county boards of elections after meticulous work under bipartisan oversight. We’re at the last stage of the process, where anyone can now check the list and contact their board of elections if they want to reactivate their registration or if they believe their record might be listed in error.”

During his administration, Secretary LaRose has taken steps to provide greater transparency to the voter registration list maintenance process, becoming the first chief elections officer in the nation to publish inactive registrations eligible for removal from the statewide database. The transparency effort, called Registration Readiness, is part of the office’s overall multi-step election integrity preparedness program being deployed in advance of the high-profile November presidential election, he says. The office previously announced an aggressive effort to identify and remove non-citizen registrations from the rolls, as well as launching routine but enhanced voter list maintenance protocols, including a pilot program designed to assist county boards of elections in better identifying registration discrepancies.

According to Ohio’s county boards of elections, each of the registrations on the 2024 Registration Readiness List have been identified as either:

1)     Voters who filled out a National Change of Address (NCOA) form indicating that they have permanently moved and are therefore no longer eligible to vote at their former address, or

2)     Inactive registrations previously flagged for removal but not yet removed from a county’s voter registration system.

Additionally, in accordance with state and federal law, each of these registrations has been inactive for a period of at least four years. County boards of elections have been instructed by LaRose to complete the removal process by July 22, 2024.

Note: Each county board of elections was required to populate and submit this data to the Secretary of State’s Office pursuant to Directive 2024-06. As of May 19, 2024, this list contains data from all county boards of elections. The data is current as of the date it was generated and depicts the inactive registrations submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. If a registration is canceled due to inactivity and lack of confirmation over a four-year period, an Ohio voter may register again at any time. The Registration Readiness list will not be continuously updated to reflect renewed registrations; however, once a registration has been restored to active status by the county board of elections, the board will ensure it is not removed from the voter rolls.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

CLEVELAND, Ohio-This week, Mayor Justin Bibb and the City of Cleveland Department of Public Works team kicked off the inaugural summer speed table program with a commitment to install 100 asphalt speed tables to slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety.

The speed table program is made possible through the Back to Basics Capital Fund, the city's $30 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investment in city street upgrades, traffic calming initiatives, and playground and park improvements.

ARPA is part of President Joe Biden's investment in American cities initiative. Cleveland is a largely Black major American city.

Data show that the population motor-vehicle death rate in the country reached its peak in 1937 with 30.8 deaths per 100,000. The current rate is 13.8 per 100,000, representing a 55% improvement.

"This project is critical because we know that lower speeds save lives," said Bibb in a statement. "There are studies that show a one mile-per-hour reduction in vehicle speeds on urban streets results in a six percent decrease in traffic fatalities. Physical traffic calming works and is an important component of our all-of-government approach to summer safety."

The first three speed tables were installed Tuesday afternoon on E. 140th Street south of Kinsman to start this summer's construction. Next week, City crews plan to begin installation in Ward 15 and Ward 11 and will continue to rotate to locations across the city, as weather permits.

"I consistently hear from residents in my ward concerned about speeding and the safety concerns that reckless driving creates," said Ward 2 Councilman Kevin L.Bishop, chair of council's Municipal Services and Properties Committee. "Council is pleased to support the speed table program and we want to hear from residents about how it's working."

Throughout the summer the asphalt speed tables will be installed by members of Cleveland's Public Works team in targeted locations citywide.

The speed table program is primarily focused on local streets with medium traffic volumes (1,000 to 4,000 vehicles per day) and documented speeding issues (average speeds near 25+ miles per hour, and 85th percentile speeds near 31plus miles per hour). The program also prioritizes locations with crash history or the presence of schools, parks, and other areas with high pedestrian volumes.

"As we kick off these first 100 speed tables, we will be continually taking in requests from residents and collecting traffic data around the city," said Cleveland's Senior Strategist for Transit and Mobility Calley Mersmann "This represents just the start, and we will add locations to the list on an ongoing basis. Speed tables on local residential streets make it more comfortable to play in the yard, walk and bike on the street, and even back out of driveways—improving safety and quality of life in our neighborhoods."

Pictured is United States President Joe Biden

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor -in-chief, and a political and investigative reporter who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio

WASHINGTON, D,C.– Today, President Joe Biden announced his support for the Right to Contraception Act (Sen. Markey, D-MA, and 49 cosponsors) via a press release to Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader.

"The administration [The Biden administration] strongly supports Senate passage of S. 4381, the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect the fundamental right to access contraception and help ensure that women can make decisions about their health, lives, and families," the president said. "The administration remains steadfast in its commitment to defending reproductive freedom and strengthening access to affordable, high-quality contraception and family planning services. Contraception is an essential part of reproductive health care that has become more important than ever following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the ensuing crisis for women’s health."

Biden has also said that if a bill from Congress to restore Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal nationwide, hits his desk, he will sign it immediately and restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

Biden's remarks  come as the June 24, 2024 second anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that overturned the longstanding Roe v Wade nears. A national day of action promoted by the National Women's March will occur on June 24 with women's groups across America striking and rallying, and taking to the streets in some cities.

A rally on Cleveland City Hall steps in downtown Cleveland, Oh is scheduled for 5:30 pm June 24 where select elected officials and activists will rally against a national ban on abortion access and for women's reproductive rights. It is being organized by Women's March Cleveland and the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus. Other participating groups, practically all of them majority Black, include Black on Black Crime, Black Man's Army, Black Woman's Army, Imperial Women Coalition, Brick House Wellness Center, Laura Cowan Foundation, and Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network.

Activists and elected officials who ave advocated for reproductive rights for women will speak, including state Sen Nickie Antonio, Minority Leader for the Ohio Senate, and Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Meredith Turner.

Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman David Brock, state Rep. Juanita Brent of Cleveland, Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell, and Dr. Lauren Beene of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights will also be among the speakers

Dangerous and extreme abortion bans are putting women’s health and lives at risk and disrupting access to critical health care services, including contraception, as health care providers are forced to close in states across the country. Contraception is also under attack," Biden said."Women must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family. Now is the time to safeguard the right to contraception once and for all."

The president added that "the administration looks forward to working with Congress as S. 4381 proceeds through the legislative process in order to protect and expand access to contraception, as well as to protect other rights and liberties."

The Senate is expected to vote on the measure this week as the Dems, who narrowly control the Senate, worry that passage of the bill is an uphill battle.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland City Council has selected Triad Research Group as the external group to lead and determine recommendations for its upcoming redistricting process, Council President Blaine Griffin announced via a press release Thursday to

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader.

City council will lose two council seats, dropping it from 17 members to 15, Griffin said.

The redistricting process has proved to be controversial in the past as council members at issue were forced to run against council colleagues.

"Two of our primary goals are to have natural boundaries and to keep neighborhoods together," said Griffin, councilman for Ward 6, which includes Fairfax, Larchmere, Little Italy, Woodland Hills, and parts of Buckeye-Shaker, University Circle, North Broadway, Slavic Village and Union-Miles."Community involvement will also play a key role in redistricting. We are eager to begin the work now to allow us time to get this right – and deliver maps that accurately reflect the needs of Cleveland's diverse neighborhoods."

Cleveland reached a population peak of 914,000 in 1950. But by the 1960s the economy had slowed, and residents fled to the suburbs. Crosstown bussing and the now defunct schools desegregation case of the 1980s and 1990s furthered White flight to suburbia.

The 2020 Census reveals a current city population of roughly 362,000, down by some 10,000 since 2010.

Currently the 17-member city council consists of eight Whites, one Hispanic and eight Blacks who represent wards on the majority Black city's largely Black east side with community activists concerned that Black leadership in the city dwindles each time redistricting takes place.

The Triad team is led by Bob Dykes, a long-time data analyst and statistician. He will be joined by Dr. Mark Salling, a  demographer and former Cleveland State University Professor of Urban Affairs as well as Kent Whitley, an urban planner, political consultant, and organizer.

Dykes has nearly 40 years of research and consulting experience and previously served as Council's redistricting consultant on three occasions, first in 1981 when the council was reduced  from 33 to 21 , and later dropped from 21 to 19, and in 2013 it dropped from 19 members to 17 after the election that year.

City Council must drop two seats  by 2025 as a result of population loss reported in the 2020 Census, from the current 17 seats, Griffin said.

Cleveland voters, in 2008, approved  a charter amendment that calls for the number of wards to be determined by population and mandates that wards be odd-numbered, comprising approximately 25,000 people, and not exceed a maximum of 25 wards or a minimum of 11 wards.

The City Charter mandates that City Council complete a redistricting process based on the results of the Decennial Census, but due to delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, data needed by states and local governments for redistricting from the 2020 Census was not available until August 2021, Griffin said. This delay, he said, prevented the city council from undertaking the redistricting process in 2020 – which would have impacted the 2021 municipal elections.

City Council leadership is now engaging in the process to ensure potential candidates and residents are aware of the boundaries well before the 2025 municipal elections.

Over the summer, Triad Research Group will meet with council members to discuss neighborhoods and natural boundaries. Triad will also conduct research, including but not limited to reviewing Census track reviews and compiling and analyzing GIS data to help draw boundaries.

Potential redistricting maps will then be shared with community members in advance of council  taking a vote on the  proposed map. Additional details about the community involvement process and opportunities for resident feedback will be shared in the near future, Griffin said, and a council vote on the issue is expected by the end of the 2024 calendar year.

The filing deadline for potential candidates for 2025 city council elections is June 11, 2025 and the primary election for wards with more than two candidates is scheduled for Sept. 9, 2025. The  general election for mayor and city council seats is scheduled for Nov 4, 2025.

Mayor Justin Bibb, the city's fourth Black mayor and its second youngest, has already announced that he will seek reelection to a second four-year term in 2025.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.