In July, the League contacted U.S. Senators George V. Voinovich and Sherrod Brown, asking them to oppose H.R. 6304, the FISA Act of 2008. The bill, which was signed into law by President Bush, authorized warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Voinovich voted in favor of the bill; Brown voted against it.

In November, the League contacted Franklin County’s nine members of the Ohio House of Representatives, urging them to oppose Sub. SB 57, the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program, because it distributed public funds to private schools. The bill failed to pass the House and died at the end of the session. Here is how the representatives voted:

• Larry L. Flowers, for the bill
• Jim McGregor, for the bill
• Kevin Bacon, for the bill
• Jim Hughes, against the bill
• Larry Wolpert, for the bill
• Ted Celeste, against the bill
• Dan Stewart, against the bill
• Tracy Heard, against the bill
• Joyce Beatty, against the bill

In December, the League contacted Franklin County’s three members of the Ohio Senate, urging them to oppose SB 380, Early Voting Requirements, because the bill was rushed through the legislature without proper deliberation or input from voting-rights groups. The bill passed both houses of the legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Strickland. Senators David Goodman and Steve Stivers voted for the measure; Senator Ray Miller voted against it.

The following table summarizes which officials voted with the League and which voted against us:

The League and its Advocacy Committee will continue to be in touch with state legislators and members of Congress on matters of good government, and we thank members and supporters who responded to action alerts in 2008.