Opinion writer Stephen Sponhour warns Twitter users to be cautious about interacting with potential bot accounts. In 2010, internet trolling was just annoying. In 2018, it’s a threat to our political system. Russia’s social media misinformation campaign during the 2016 election is widely documented, but the continued use of these propaganda tactics in the years after the election has made …

Episodes 3 examines the candidates running for Auditor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, and Attorney General in the 2018 election.

Episode two gives voters insight on how to register to vote and the option of absentee voting.

Vote Ohio is a weekly series about what you need to know before voting this November. The first video goes over state positions that are being voted on and what makes them important.  

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper came to campus on the second day of classes to encourage involvement in politics, to denounce Trump and to express need for congressional redistricting. Ohio’s Democratic Party Chairman is not a fan of President Trump. “If you’re in Ohio and you’re a Democrat, you’re pretty disappointed that Trump won this state by eight points,” …

Ohio’s 70th governor will inherit a widespread drug epidemic, an enlarged Rainy Day Fund and an increased spotlight in the aftermath of current Gov. John Kasich’s failed 2016 presidential run. More than a year still remains until the Nov. 2018 gubernatorial election, but eight candidates for the governorship have emerged as the Democratic and Republican forerunners. Let’s break down where …

Athens has some new competition for a couple of City Council seats. A majority of the competitors are Democrats, with only one Republican vying for a spot. Sarah Grace Grace is one of three candidates running for an at-large seat on the council. She is an OU alumna, local small-business owner and a former candidate for Ohio’s 94th District seat. …

As the semester wraps up, so do the activities of student organizations. Student Senate celebrated its turnover of power and awarded honors to outstanding Senate members during its last meeting of the year. It was not all fun and games, however, as one of the first orders of business was to call an executive session to discuss a “personnel matter.” …

In August 2016, a thread popped up on a forum from a user with a grainy black and white avatar. “C-Bus in the house!” The post goes on to describe various city attractions. The user lists off parks and university centers to hang out and recruit members. They also mention a good target for activism: The Ohio Statehouse Holocaust Memorial. …

Rep. Jay Edwards, R-94th District, visited the Ohio University College Democrats to introduce himself and speak about issues and bills currently in legislature. Edwards said the opioid crisis is a crucial matter for Athens. He discussed in detail a new bill created to resolve the crisis, and commented about how doctors should be held accountable for the amount of opioids …

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted met with OU College Republicans yesterday in the basement of Red Brick to discuss his experiences in life and in office, as well as what he might do if he decides to pursue a gubernatorial campaign. Although Husted said he wouldn’t make the decision on whether to run for governor for several more weeks, …

In case you haven’t heard, last week President Donald Trump bombarded a Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles after it appeared the Syrian government used chemical weapons on civilians. Naturally, this has ignited some comments from Ohio’s politicians. Assad regime committed war crimes that can not be tolerated. U.S. response was appropriate and necessary. #SyriaStrikes — John Kasich (@JohnKasich) …

Ohio University College Republicans elected Ryan Evans as its president for the 2017-2018 school year. In Evans’ nomination speech, he spoke about some of the past accomplishments of the past year. His goal is to increase retention rates for the organization and work toward making the organization more prestigious. “From what I learned in the last year being on exec …

Former Obama speechwriter Kevin Samy and filmmaker Chris Roessner presented the Dog Whistle Project. to Ohio University College Democrats Tuesday night. The initiative was created to combat political doublespeak, which the speakers alleged is often used to promote a hidden agenda. Samy and Roessner started the organization partly because of the rise of Milo Yiannopoulos and his speeches to college …

Student Senate elections finished Tuesday, April 4, after a turbulent election cycle, resulting in a majority win by the Green Light ticket. The new executives are Green Light’s Landen Lama as president, Nicole Schneider as vice president and Zachary Woods as treasurer. Going into the 2017-2018 school year, Green Light will occupy 34 of Senate’s 39 seats. Two of these …

State Highway Patrol members barricaded the block surrounding the Sandusky State Theater today so Gov. John Kasich could announce an awardance of $20 million to fight the opioid epidemic through innovation. Kasich, along with the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate, drove over two hours from the Ohio Statehouse to Sandusky for the Republican’s second-to-last State of the …

An already unique Student Senate election just become a little more interesting: outsider ticket Fight was disqualified from the election as of 11:50 a.m. today. This decision was a result of Fight failing to submit its financial report on time, shifting its infraction level from a class B to a class A, which results in disqualification. Disqualification in this manner …

Ohio Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, introduced a bill this week aimed at fighting Ohio’s opioid crisis through prescription drug reform. House Bill 167, introduced by Edwards at a Wednesday press conference, would limit the dosage of prescription opioids for acute pain that physicians can prescribe. This would require physicians to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that suggest …

Three tickets are running for Student Senate this year, with vastly different platforms and ideas for the future. Get to know Voice: Presidential candidate: Jordan Kelley is fourth-year B.S.S. student studying student development and has been part of Student Senate for four years a senator, commissioner, vice commissioner and on Student Senate staff. He has been an RA and currently …

Three tickets are running for Student Senate this year, with vastly different platforms and ideas for the future. Get to know Green Light: Presidential candidate: Landen Lama is a political science major and has two years of Student Senate experience as parliamentarian and chief of staff. He is also a Democratic central committee member for Fairfield County, representing the Democratic …

Three tickets are running for Student Senate this year, with vastly different platforms and ideas for the future. Get to know Fight: Presidential candidate: David Parkhill, a junior studying business management, has experience outside of Student Senate, including his time as a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and a year as president of Ohio University College Republicans. He is hoping …

Last March brought snow to Athens, Ohio, but yesterday a different type of white powder blew into the Ohio University airport. JUST IN: Authorities seize large amount of drugs from plane that landed at OU airport. They suspect it’s cocaine – https://t.co/mr7oIoDeWy pic.twitter.com/BXKbvLR7l8 — WTTE FOX 28 (@fox28columbus) March 30, 2017 At around 2:30 p.m., the Department of Homeland Security …

Ohio University Police Chief Andrew Powers asked the Athens City Prosecutor’s office to dismiss the remaining charges related to the Baker Center sit-in on Feb. 1. “Although I still believe the February 1 gathering had become unsafe and that our response was appropriate, I respect the decision of the judge,” Powers said in a press release. Athens Municipal Court Judge …

Walter 235 does not look like an average Ohio University classroom. The U of desks and chairs rises up to create stands for the last debate of the 2017-18 Student Senate elections. Three sets of executive candidates took the floor, answering questions submitted by students and audience members. The debate began calmly, but at times the candidates became heated, while …

Three of Ohio’s most prominent Republicans have weighed in since the American Health Care Act failed to receive enough votes to pass in the House last week. Each of them laid forth a path that demonstrates three different strategies for Republicans moving forward. Ohio governor and former Republican presidential candidate John Kasich suggested President Donald Trump find a group of …

On Monday, Michael Mayberry, an organizer of the Baker Center sit-in, was found not guilty of criminal trespassing. Mayberry is one of 70 individuals whom Athens law enforcement arrested on Feb. 1 at a Baker sit-in protest. He was the first to go to bench trial, which is trial by judge, not jury. In Ohio, criminal trespassing is a fourth-degree …

Five on-campus and two off-campus Student Senate candidates laid out their platforms in the off-campus and residential debate Monday night. None of the candidates present represented the Fight ticket, and both off-campus senators in attendance represented Green Light. The residential senator candidates were asked about diversity, connecting students and what issues they believe are most affecting their constituents. Xan Spalding, …

A report analyzing Ohio’s bail and pretrial services published last week recommended implementing several measures to improve the fairness and efficiency of Ohio’s various court systems. In line with similar studies across the U.S., the report, published by a special committee of the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission, found that “those with money, notwithstanding their danger to the community, can purchase …

Athens and campus officials presented arguments against the American Health Care Act at the Athens County Courthouse on Thursday. Keller Blackburn, the Athens County prosecutor, spoke about how he believes the legislation proposed by U.S. House Republicans will be detrimental to Athens residents facing addiction problems. “We can either have productive members of society and recognize that addiction is a disease… or we can defund …

Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor spoke to Ohio University College Republicans about education at her campaign event for Ohio Governor on Thursday. “Coming out of high school, (students) should have the skills they need to take a job that exists in Ohio today, and there are lots of jobs that don’t require college degrees,” Taylor said. She said she wants to …

Remember the American Health Care Act that was supposed to be voted on yesterday, the seventh anniversary of the passage of Obamacare, in the House? It didn’t happen, but maybe Friday. The White House says the vote will be held Friday morning “in the light of day,” according to Axios. But House members aren’t sure when exactly the vote will …

The second Student Senate election debate asked candidates for college senators about the specific actions and innovations for which they would work if elected. The three tickets squared off on the three questions moderators posed:   What’s the biggest issue facing your students in your academic college, and how do you plan on addressing that? Fight’s College of Arts and …

Ohio University College Democrats elected its 2017-18 executive staff at its weekly meeting last night. Ashley Fishwick, a sophomore studying English pre-law, was elected president and Levi Brown, a junior studying political science, was elected to vice president. “I’m honestly just most excited to increase our presence on campus, because I know right now a lot of the rallies that …

The GOP health care bill debate has made its way to the states, and nowhere is this debate more prevalent than in Ohio. Gov. John Kasich penned a letter alongside other governors calling for more flexibility for states. Meanwhile, two Ohio congressmen are among a growing coalition of House Republicans who are dissatisfied with the American Health Care Act. Republican …

Greenlight, Fight, Voice — the three tickets running for Student Senate all met for the first time today at the executive debate. Inclusion of all students and groups on campus dominated a significant part of the rhetoric from all three platforms, as was better communication with administrators. However, the tickets differed on the specifics of how this should be done. …

President Donald Trump presented his budget proposal to Congress this morning. It’s filled with cuts to various different agencies and boosts in areas such as defense spending. This has naturally attracted criticism from both sides of the aisle. Republicans have spoken out against the broad budget cuts, and Democrats have tailored their messaging toward critiquing the administration’s cuts to programs …

Athens City Council debated bike lanes and discussed a Sustainability Action Plan and possible extension of the bike path that follows the Hocking River. East State Street Project brought the heat. East State Street’s layout may be getting a makeover. The plan, developed by members of the Far East Side Neighborhood Association, the City Council Transportation Committee and Public Works …

Monday night’s faculty senate opened with a discussion from Interim President David Descutner on the Ohio University Baker Center sit-in on Feb. 1 and how the university administration may react to spontaneous protests in the future. Descutner noted that just as protests are rarely as simple as a group of students advocating for a cause, how OU administration and police …

Editor’s Note: As of March 13, former Rep. Connie Pillich announced her gubernatorial bid. As this announcement came after publication, her candidacy is not reflected in this article.  Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s term is up in 2018, meaning a new leader will be ushered into the swing state. At the end of February, current Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor announced …

By the numbers: Trump’s approval rating according to 538’s new aggregate: 43.7 percent Rick Perry’s confirmation vote margin: 62-37 All-time DOW high after Trump’s speech: 21,000   Sessions recuses himself but still falls short of Ohio Democrats’ demands Today at a press conference, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he would recuse himself from any investigations into Russian interference in last …

Fifteen of the 70 people arrested during the Feb. 1 Baker Center sit-in entered a plea of no-contest in acceptance of a plea-deal on Thursday morning in Athens Municipal Court. Those who took the deal have a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, a minor misdemeanor. The protesters who took the deal accepted it to finalize court proceedings and shift attention …

Ohio University College Democrats and College Republicans are planning an event focused on inclusive discussion of the various political perspectives at Ohio University. The forum will randomly place students together in groups, where they will contribute their political opinions based on conversation topics students in both organizations suggested. Possible topics include health care, immigration reform and reproductive rights. OU’s LGBT …

Numbers from Trump’s speech: Trump’s proposed infrastructure budget: $1 trillion Arizona’s Obamacare premium increase: 116 percent Americans living in poverty: 43.1 million Trump addresses Congress and Democrats Trump took a calm tone to the Capitol tonight as he addressed a joint session of Congress. The president stayed on the same topics he has since his inauguration, but he was noticeably …

Ohio Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, wants to introduce a new tuition voucher program to make private schools more affordable. The proposed bill would combine three existing voucher programs into one. The bill has provisions to relax income requirements and to get rid of the current “failing schools” system that prioritizes students in underperforming school districts. Under the current system, private …

This week at Athens City Council: Police chief to donate $500 to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital. State approves of micro wireless legislation, City Council not so much. Round five: neighborhood parking permit proposal (OK, slow down) is back.   Where can you donate to those affected by the Carriage Hill fire? Police chief to donate $500 to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital. Athens County …

Preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., a 2016 study found, but a new bill hopes to address the problem by reducing the workload nurses face in Ohio hospitals. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, sets specific nurse-to-patient ratios and protects nurses who refuse to follow hospital directions that break the proposed …

By the numbers: Percent of votes that were illegal in November election: .0014 percent Trump’s proposed military spending increase: $54 billion Proposed EPA budget cut: ¼ of current budget   Kasich meets with Trump on Obamacare reform Last Friday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich met with President Trump in order to discuss Obamacare reform. Kasich, who notably expanded Medicaid in Ohio, …

By the numbers: Votes needed by candidates to be named new DNC chair this Saturday: 447 Public money spent by State Treasurer Josh Mandel on TV ads for treasury marketing: $1.84 million Favorability rating of Obamacare: 45 percent   Some Ohio Republicans dodge constituents while others face them head-on During their week away from the Capitol, some of Ohio’s Republican House …

By the numbers: Trump administration’s projected GDP growth: 3-3.5 percent Constituent faxes to Senators per hour: up to 300 Faxes sent to Rob Portman: 0 (He doesn’t accept faxes) Kasich is meeting with Trump but questions arise over who reached out Last night, CNN reported Ohio Gov. John Kasich was meeting with Trump on Friday. Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed …

Reporting by Erin Franczak. Sam Miller and Anthony Eilopoulous of Ohio University College Democrats are preparing for the next stage in their careers as executives at College Democrats of Ohio. They reflect on their time with College Dems and explain their goals for the future.