Case policy forum looks at Ohio election reforms
Public invited to learn more about Propositions 2, 3, 4 and 5, October 26
October 19, 2005 | For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University's Center for Policy Studies will sponsor, Reform Ohio Now? Political Scientists Look at Propositions 2, 3, 4 and 5 to inform the public about new election reform initiatives on the November 8th ballot. The free, public program takes place in Ford Auditorium of the Allen Medical Library, at Adelbert Road and Euclid Avenue on Case's campus, Wednesday, October 26 from 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Presenting Reform Ohio Now proposals will be Richard Gunther from Ohio State University, with discussions from other Ohio political scientists—John Green of University of Akron, Caroline Tolbert of Kent State University and Justin Buchler of Case Western Reserve University.
"Our intent is to have a much more substantive exploration of the issues than is likely to occur in a partisan debate. Generally political scientists tend to be somewhat skeptical of 'good government' reforms, so we are confident that the discussion will raise many issues," said Joseph White, director of Case's Center for Policy Studies.
He added, "Propositions 2, 3, 4, and 5 are arguably the most important choices Ohio voters face in the 2005 election. We hope this program will illuminate those choices."
The call for election reforms resulted from governmental scandals, controversies over how votes were cast and counted in Ohio in 2000 and 2004 elections, and also that the Republican dominance of state offices appears to far exceed the underlying partisan divisions of the electorate.
White noted that many objections to current law involve policies that have long been criticized by nonpartisan reformers such as campaign contributions and the gerrymandering of legislative districts. Therefore, when an organization called Reform Ohio Now sponsored four initiatives that are on the ballot for citizens to approve or reject on November 8, it both attracted support from political reform organizations such as Common Cause, and elicited divisions between the Republicans (who benefit from the status quo) and Democrats (who might be willing to try anything to improve their position).
For information, contact White at 216-368-2426, or joseph.white@case.edu or visit the Center for Policy Studies' web site at http://www.case.edu/artsci/cps/.
Short Biographies of the Speakers
Richard Gunther, Ph.D., is a professor of political science at The Ohio State University. He has research interests in Southern Europe, transitions to and consolidation of democracy, electoral behavior, comparative political institutions and public policy. Gunther brings to reform topic the perspective from studying a far wider range of electoral institutions than exists in the United States. He is author, coauthor or co-editor of 11 books, including Democracy and the Media: A Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2000) and Democracy in Modern Spain (Yale University Press, 2004). He has also published over 70 articles and monographs, including a report on "Electoral Laws, Party Systems, and the Quality of Democracy" for the U.S. Agency for International Development (2004). Gunther has also been active in the governance of Ohio State, including service as chair of the University Senate Fiscal Committee from 2002-2004.
John C. Green, Ph.D., is distinguished professor of Political Science and director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. He is also a senior fellow in religion and American politics of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Green's expertise in campaign politics is represented by a wide range of books and articles, including The State of the Parties: The Changing Role of Contemporary Party Politics (4th ed. Rowman & Littlefield 2003) and The Values Campaign: The Christian Right in American Politics (Georgetown University Press, 2005). Green edits Vox Pop, the newsletter of the Political Organizations and Parties Section of the American Political Science Association, and is widely quoted as an observer of elections, campaign finance and party politics.
Caroline Tolbert, Ph.D., is associate professor of political science at Kent State University. Her research focuses on forms of "direct democracy," including both various forms of e-government and studies of both voting on and the effects of initiatives (such as propositions 2—5) at the state level. She is coauthor of Educated by Initiative: The Effects of Direct Democracy on Citizens and Political Organizations in the American States (University of Michigan Press, 2004) and coeditor of Citizens as Legislators: Direct Democracy in the United States (Ohio State University Press, 2000), as well as numerous articles in a wide range of political science journals.
Justin Buchler, Ph.D., is assistant professor of political science at Case. He joined the univeristy's faculty in July, after a year as visiting assistant professor at Oberlin College. Buchler's research has focused on campaign finance, methods of casting and tabulating votes and consequences of the ways that district boundaries are drawn. He is the author of "Competition, Representation, and Redistricting" (Journal of Theoretical Politics, October 2005) and co-author of "Punch Card Technology and the Racial Gap in Residual Votes (Perspectives on Politics, September 2004).
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