Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our January Coffee hour. It’s always great to see you and discuss democracy in Ohio, and beyond! Here’s the recording and slides from the meeting.

Please take our poll to help us select webinar topics for 2026.

Upcoming events 

• Ongoing Tues & Thurs at 6pm: Join Common Cause’s Democracy Phonebank 
• January 23, noon – Ohio Voter Rights Coalition Member Call
• January 27, noon – Lights Out AEP Rally
• February 11, 6pm – Fair Districts Huddle 
• February 19, 8:30am – Coffee with Common Cause  
• February 21, 11am – 1pm Documenters Columbus Orientation & Training 

Ways to get involved:  

• Sign up for voting and elections updates from the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition
• Send an email to cturcer@commoncause.org if you want to be part of the Article V study committee and/or speakers bureau. 

Senate Bill 293

On Dec. 19, 2025, Senate Bill 293 was signed by Governor DeWine off camera and “reluctantly.”

• Ohio Bans Grace Periods for Mail Ballots, Fulfilling Trump’s Wishes, Bolts Magazine, December 23, 2025  
• After DOJ Threat, Ohio GOP Passes Law to End Mail Ballot Grace Periods, Democracy Docket,  November 19, 2025

What do we do next for voters?

• Share social graphics and reminders
• Join Ohio Voter Rights Coalition’s education committee or a small study group, email kdufour@commoncause.org 
• Track and lobby for change:  House Bill 400 Establish a Permanent Absentee List referred to the Ohio House General Government Committee in September

Here in Ohio:

• Secretary LaRose Launches Multi-State Election Integrity Network Called ‘Elexa’; reciprocal agreement with 11 states

National landscape:

• Tracker of Justice Department Requests for Voter Information, Brennan Center for Justice 

• DOJ is sharing state voter roll lists with Homeland Security, Stateline, September 12, 2025 
• Trump: ‘I should have’ seized ballots in 2020 election, Democracy Docket, January 12, 2026
• March 25, 2025 Trump’s March 25, 2025 Executive Order

• New federal ruling is latest defeat to Trump administration’s election agenda, VoteBeat, January 13, 2026
• Here’s What the New USPS Rule Means for Voting by Mail, Campaign Legal Center, January 8, 2026
• US SAVE Act
• Voter Purge Protection Act 

House Bill 6

• Householder/House Bill 6 Timeline

Former FirstEnergy Executives 

• FirstEnergy paid $2.5 million secret payment to nonprofit backing DeWine in 2018, new records show, Cleveland.com, April 2024 
• Former PUCO Chairman, Former FirstEnergy Executives Indicted on Public Corruption Charges, Ohio Attorney General, February 12, 2024
• Coroner rules Ohio utilities commission chair accused in House Bill 6 case died by suicide, Ohio Public Radio, May 13, 2024
• Amended witness list for former FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones and lobbyist Michael Dowling in state criminal case in Ohio, Summit County Common Pleas Court, January 13. 2025

FirstEnergy

• The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved FirstEnergy’s  settlement agreement with the Ohio Consumer Counsel and others as a result of the House Bill 6 bribery scandal.

Larry Householder and Matt Borges 

• Larry Householder, Matt Borges ask U.S. Supreme Court to review cases at heart of their HB6 convictions, Cleveland.com, January 5, 2026

• Ohio utility corruption defendants to SCOTUS: Bribes are free speech, Canary Media, January 8, 2026
• Householder’s writ to the court and Borges’
• 1991 McCormick v. United States and 1992 Evans v. United States.

• From credit cards to pool cleaning, FirstEnergy money benefitted Householder, feds say, Ohio Capital Journal, February 10, 2023

AEP

•  In January 2025, SEC announcement that AEP agreed to pay $19 million because of their $1.2 million dark money payments in the House Bill 6 scheme as well as lies to investors.
• In June 2025, AEP Ohio Standard Service Offer (SSO) price for residential customers changed from $9.97 to $10.52¢ per kWh. 
• In October 2025, AEP reports significant profits.

• AEP Ohio Wants to Raise Your Electric Bill, Ohio Consumer Counsel
• Petition to say NO to AEP

ICE Trainings:

• 1/19, 3pm, Community Defense and ICE Watch
• 1/26, 7pm, Building for Community Defense: NE Ohio

Resources:

• Central Ohio Resources
• ICE Watch Resources Linktree
• Hotline for families of people detained: 614-874-1189

Watch:  Taken By Ice & Detained, KARE11, January, 13, 2026

Read: Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack, January 14, 2026

Ohio Election Integrity Commission 

• First meeting on the Ohio Channel 

Ideas and Inspiration 

• Public school budget cuts a symptom of systemic corruption, op-ed by Mia Lewis in the Columbus Dispatch, December 10, 2025 

• Seven Legal Questions That Will Shape Democracy in 2026, Bolts Magazine, January 13, 2026

• The physical weight of Trumpism, Garrett Graff’s Substack Doomsday Scenario, January 8, 2026 

• My New Year’s Resolution, The Grassroots Connector Substack by Susan Wagner, January 12, 2026

• Sunday Thought: our power, our courage, our resolve, Robert Reich’s Substack, January 11, 2026
• We are not the crazy ones, JoJo from Jerz’s Substack, January 9, 2026
• Send me your tired, your poor, The Grassroots Connector Substack by Judithe Black, January 5, 2026 

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