Positions
The League of Women Voters takes action on an issue only when we have a position addressing that particular issue. Members must study and come to consensus on an issue, in order to form a position. This thorough grassroots process ensures that our advocacy is well considered by a broad range of people.
LWVO Positions include:
​Government
Constitution: Support a clear, flexible, organized, and internally consistent Constitution. Support specification that taxation is a General Assembly responsibility and that funding should be flexible. Support independence of judges, with preference for merit selection. Oppose term limits for the General Assembly. Read more…
Apportionment/Districting: Support an impartial districting process with opportunity for citizen participation. Support districts that are compact, contiguous, bounded by a non-intersecting line, and follow political boundaries as much as possible. Read more…
State Government Finance: Support taxation that is fair and equitable, provides adequate resources for government programs while allowing flexibility for financing future program changes, is understandable to the taxpayer and encourages compliance, and is easy to administer. Read more …
Ohio Primary Election System: Support open primary election systems that narrow the field of candidates for the general election and permit all registered voters, regardless of political party membership, to participate. Read more…
Ranked Choice Voting: Support majority of votes to win. Ranked voting when more than two candidates so that if majority is not achieved on first choice, the ranked choice becomes an instant run-off. Need citizen education and support of best practices. Read more…
Social Policy
Primary and Secondary Education: Support the use of public funds only for public schools. Support an elected State Board of Education whose responsibility is policy making/planning. Support state education standards as a method of attaining a high- quality education. Support state funding for education that guarantees a realistic and equitable level of per- pupil expenditures, and support local school districts assuming a reasonable share of the financial burden. Read more…
Higher Education: Support funding by the state to ensure that all Ohio citizens have access to post-secondary education that provides general education and job preparation. Support Department of Education, appointed by the Governor with confirmation by the Senate, to be a planning, coordinating board with broad policy-making powers. Read more…
Juvenile Justice: Support community-based, least restrictive placement; rights and humane treatment of children who are juvenile offenders; alternative educational services; gender-specific treatment programs; unbiased treatment regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or socio-economic status; statewide uniform standards for dealing with juvenile records. Oppose holding children in adult jails. Read more…
Capital Punishment: Support abolition of the death penalty and a moratorium on use of the death penalty. Read more…
Human Trafficking: Support legislation to stop human forced labor and sex trafficking. Adult and child victims should be provided with services as needed. Aggressive enforcement of laws should include cooperation among agencies, strategies to reduce demand, training, and necessary funding. Read more…
Health Equity: Health inequities are differences in health status between different population groups that arise from social conditions where people are born, grow, live, work and age. In increasing health equity, the League supports: legislation requiring an assessment of all proposed legislation as to its impact on health inequities, prior to adoption; expansion of Medicaid; policies and legislation that encourage investment in areas of concentrated poverty; policies and legislation that promote income stability; cooperation between state, county and local governments with non-profits; and investing in policies, legislation and programs that help break the cycle of poverty. Read more…
Armed School Personnel: League of Women Voters Ohio (LWVO) opposes the arming of school personnel under any circumstances. LWVO supports alternatives to arming school personnel to create a healthier and safer school environment; supports the consideration of research into the effects of arming school personnel in the total decision process used to arm school personnel; and supports the consideration of the effects on targeted students including students of color in this decision to arm school personnel. However, as Ohio legislation currently makes arming school personnel legal, LWVO supports the following regulations and considerations when arming school personnel: determining parameters; transparency; stakeholder views; funding & liability; storage; school personnel selection; and training. Read more…
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Criminal Justice:
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A criminal justice system that is, at all stages of the process including lawmaking, just, effective, equitable, humane, transparent, non-discriminatory and that fosters public trust and the life and dignity of each person.
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A criminal justice system whose primary focus is on rehabilitation with the goal of facilitating the successful reentry into communities of those who have been incarcerated.
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The elimination of systemic biases, including the disproportionate policing, prosecution, sentencing, and incarceration of marginalized communities and vulnerable individuals and groups.
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Criminal justice policies and practices that promote safety for all-- including the law enforcement officers, the communities they serve, the victims of crime, and also the people accused of crime and their families.
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Community oversight will be a transparent, measurable, productive, and proactive collaboration between government and community throughout every stage of the criminal justice system.
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Reliance on evidence-based research in decision-making about all aspects of the criminal justice system, including systematic collection and sharing of data and reports, regularly scheduled audits of program and policy effectiveness, and outreach to collect public input regarding the process and the outcomes; movement toward central collection of data across all areas of criminal justice.
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Wide-spread availability of, and sufficient funding for supportive care services across all phases of the criminal justice system;
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Fairness in the application of justice across the state such that one's access to justice is not dependent on one's county or municipality, or on the court or the judge assigned to the case.
Natural Resources
Water: Support policies and procedures that provide for joint, cooperative planning and administration along watershed lines and across political boundaries; stringent water quality standards accompanied by strong enforcement and means of implementation; and adequate state financing, including incentives to local governments and industries for expediting water pollution abatement. Read more…
Solid Waste: Support the philosophy that solid waste, from generation to ultimate disposal, must be purposefully and systematically controlled by all levels of government in order to provide efficient service, protect the environment, and achieve successful resource recovery. Support measures to forestall depletion of our natural resources and to recover nonrenewable resources.
Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste: Support state policies and programs that emphasize the following hazardous waste management options in order of priority: waste reduction, toxicity reduction, and waste elimination; waste separation and concentration; energy/material recovery; waste exchange; and chemical, biological, physical, and thermal treatment. Read more…
Land Use: Support both urban revitalization and farmland preservation and the curbing of urban sprawl. Support the role of the state in providing authority and incentives for local governments to plan regionally and to exercise innovative planning and regulatory techniques such as suggested in the full position. Support use of eminent domain as a last resort under conditions specified in the full position. Support an enforcement system for appeals or arbitration where conflicts exist. Read more…
Interbasin Transfer of Water: Support diversion of water only after study of the ecological, economic, and social implications indicate that diversion would be sustainable and only after the development of a plan to protect the affected areas during all stages of development, operation, termination, and post-termination. Support public participation in the decision-making process. Support participation of all concerned governments in Great Lakes resource decision-making. Read more…
Great Lakes Ecosystem: Support preserving and enhancing the environmental integrity and quality of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Ecosystem. Support the attainment and maintenance of high water quality standards throughout the Great Lakes Basin, with emphasis on water pollution prevention. Water conservation should be a high priority of all governments in the Basin. Read more…
Agenda for Action is the history and guide to LWV Ohio's positions on state public policy issues.
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It includes each position’s history, outlook for the future, and how it has been used for action; it is a companion publication to Impact on Issues, published by the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS). The two publications should be used together to fully understand the basis for League action. LWVO uses LWVUS positions for state-level action when applicable and appropriate.
Impact on Issues is the history and guide to League of Women Voters of the United States positions on public policy issues.
It can be used to advocate at the national, state, local, and regional levels. It includes the League's full official statements, a background and history for each position, and significant actions and achievements.