In The News
New Yorker: State Legislatures are Torching Democracy
Even in moderate places like Ohio, gerrymandering has let unchecked Republicans pass extremist laws that could never make it through Congress. By Jane Mayer August 6, 2022 Ohio’s voters are moderate, but its legislature is to the right of South Carolina’s....
Gerrymandered Districts: Ohio Supreme Court Strikes Down Map as Unconstitutional
Another Unconstitutional Map The Ohio Supreme Court just ruled that the maps submitted by the Redistricting Committee violate our state Constitution, because they are unconstitutional gerrymanders. Again. This is the sixth time that the Court has stricken down the...
A Win for Ohio Dems: Democratic State Leg Candidates Added to Ballot Over LaRose Objection
We knew you'd want to hear some good news, and we're glad to share it. tldr; On Friday (which was a busy day for a whole host of reasons) the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of four Democratic candidates for state legislature, who Secretary of State Frank LaRose...
WATCH: David Joins Statehouse Candidate Nancy Larson to Talk Blue Ohio
On June 24, David joined Nancy Larson, who is running for Ohio statehouse in District 41, to talk about Blue Ohio. In the past six months alone, Ohio Republicans have passed a bill calling for genital inspections of student athletes, insisted that rape provides an...
Another Unconstitutional Map
It's the most blatant attack on democracy and the rule of law I’ve ever witnessed in Ohio. And, as you know, that's saying a lot.And on May 27, a federal appeals court rewarded the lawlessness. But before I get to the most recent update, there have been a lot of...
Republicans Read All Our Emails
Hmm. Interesting. It's not every day you see an email from the 3rd most powerful Ohio Republican in your inbox. But there it was. From Bill Seitz. The very same fellow who had tweeted at me (late in the evening) "Too bad, so sad. We win again." That...
The Hill: Worried About Democracy? Pay Attention to the State
The Hill, March 27, 2022, ALBERT HUNT, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR Washington obsesses over how many Republicans will vote for the eminently qualified Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, or Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) latest attention-getting move, or the forever...
Pepper Launches Blue Ohio
Former Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper launches Blue Ohio, spearheading effort to boost Democrats’ state legislative campaigns April 21, 2022 David Pepper and It Starts Today are excited to announce a joint project, Blue Ohio, that will crowdsource support...
SALON: How States Have Become “Laboratories of Autocracy” – and Why It’s Worse Than You Think
By Paul Rosenberg, January 15, 2022 There's a booming literature on the erosion of democracy in America, as well as around the world, but David Pepper's book "Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call From Behind the Lines" stands out as arguably the most important...
Markin Report: A Fix to Anti-democratic Laws That Republicans Won’t Like
A Fix to Anti-democratic Laws That Republicans Won’t Like David Pepper, February 16, 2022 Guest Post by David Pepper Almost a century ago, Justice Louis Brandeis extolled states as “Laboratories of Democracy.” His theory, echoed by others over the years, was that...