Democracy ▼
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What's On the Van Wert County, OH ballot in the next election?
What's On the Van Wert County, OH ballot in the next election?
Websites
The internet is full of useful websites to help you navigate the next election. Here are our favorites.
BallotPedia.org
Sample Ballot LookupA useful tool that does not require and email address. Just type in any street address to see who's on the ballot for that address.
VoteSaveAmerica
"Be a Voter" ToolAnother address based ballot tool, shows every local candidate and who has endorsed them.
BallotReady.org/oh
View who's on the ballot in Ohio, or any address. Powers voter info tools for many other websites.
See also Election Guides for Ohio
Generative AI Prompts
If I live in Van Wert County, OH, when is the next federal, state, county, or local election? What is on the ballot? Provide links to information for Van Wert County, OH.
Try this prompt on:
Perplexity.ai Google Gemini ChatGPT4Claude.ai -
Is Ohio Gerrymandered? Who Draws The Voting Districts in Ohio?
Is Ohio Gerrymandered? Who Draws The Voting Districts in Ohio?
Ohio Information on Redistricting From High-Quality Voter Information Sites
Here are some key, reliable sources on the internet to see how congressional districts changed after the 2020 census redistricting.
Ballotopedia: Redistricting in Ohio after the 2020 Census
the National Council of State Legislatures
Ballotopedia has excellent redistricting resources so we won't repeat then here, except to link to information they have about Ohio.
Five-thirty-eight: has a before and after redistricting map for Ohio
What is Gerrymandering?
The maps are in and redistricting is underway.
Redistricting can either strengthen or weaken the power of a party in the state overall.
The two most common practices are “packing” and “cracking” where voters of a particular party are either lumped together into a single district (packing) or split into an ineffective minority across several districts (cracking).
Gerrymandering is the practice of taking this to an extreme.
Some states have independent redistricting commissions with the aim of ending partisan gerrymandering,
Arizona, California, Michigan, Colorado, and others
And other states have partisan maps drawn by the party in power in the state legislature, gerrymandered to favor the party in power that got to draw the map:
Texas, Arizona, Illinois and others
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About Democracy By Zip Code
About Democracy By Zip Code
About DemocracyByZipCode (.com)
This site is dedicated to
- consumer rights,
- democracy, and
- the rule of law.
Donald Trump stands for none of those things.
When Trump was president, he appointed the head lobbyist for the payday lending industry to run the Consumer Finance Protection Board (CFPB), which is supposed to protect consumers from predatory lending practices, among other things.
He doesn't give a damn about consumer rights. He's on the side of predatory capitalism and screwing people out of money for private gain.
He appointed Betsy DeVos (who made a fortune from creating for-profit private colleges and schools) in charge of the Department of Education and Student Loans Repayment.
Under her leadership, borrowers defrauded by diploma mills that offered no real training were out of luck. Betsy DeVos defended private colleges that put out useless college diplomas.
Joe Biden changed everything when he took office, allowing students ripped off by crooked colleges to get their loans forgiven.
So, as a website dedicated to common sense, fair play, consumer rights, and the rule of law, LegalConsumer.com is dedicated to making sure that consumers and working people understand that:
Donald Trump is NOT a friend of consumers or a defender of consumer rights or working people. He is NOT looking out for your interests regarding consumer laws and consumer protections from predatory business practices.
And as a lawyer, I know that Trump is not a victim of any rigged legal system. The charges brought against Trump are appropriate and reasonable.
A unanimous jury found him guilty of sexual assault and of defaming his victim.
He did it. He is guilty.
The system works. It's not rigged.
If you support or enable Trump/Putin, you support a con man and a traitor who is no friend of consumers or consumer rights.
April 3, 2024
America is at a crossroads.
Trump has taken over the Republican Party and is now bleeding it of money.
And Putin is in charge of Trump, and Trump is forcing Republicans to block funding for Ukraine. Meanwhile, prominent Republican politicians are repeating Russian disinformation talking points about Ukraine.
Ronald Reagan would be turning over in his grave.
Trump is trying every day to undermine the rule of law because he is a serial grifter who is facing mounting legal problems and is feeling cornered. The legal system is not "rigged" against him. If anything, it has offered him far too much leeway. He should be in jail. He is a pathetic joke who spent over $100 million in legal fees last year!
As a pro-consumer lawyer, a "real American," and a "true patriot," I've dedicated this part of the website to ensuring this anti-consumer, wanna-be-dictator, Putin-acolyte never takes power in this country.
January 25, 2024
And here we are. Voldemort is not dead. He is very much alive.
And this year is shaping up to be historic, one way or another.
A year from now, we will know how it all shook out.
But from this end, 2024 looks like one of promise and peril for democracy and its institutions that are under attack by a narcissistic egomaniac who lusts for absolute power and a dazed and confused band of followers who love his brand of "angertainment" full of rage, and lies and resentment for "others" who don't follow their beliefs.
These people are hungry to gain power and impose their twisted, perverted brand of white nationalist Christianity on all of us and subjugate women to the will of a government that demands to control women's bodies. (One can only wonder how they would feel if their daughters were raped and forced to carry their rapist's babies, as more than 66,000 women have so far been forced to do so far since these perverted laws have banned women from getting needed medical care in places like Texas. )
And importantly, for users of this website, many oppose consumer protection laws that help keep ordinary consumers from being ripped off by banks and credit card companies.
So we are dedicating this year, 2024, to ensuring that users of this website have the best tools available to know how their representatives stand on important issues like fiscal policy (tax and spending priorities, who wins, who loses), consumer protection, individual rights, and access to affordable medical care.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, we will find and link to the best resources that help you track this information locally so that you can know how those representing you have acted on issues you care about.
November 10, 2022
Whew! The silent majority showed up and voted, especially young people. Voters rejected those who want to trash democracy. Perhaps the Trump brand of democracy bashing will finally end, and we will go back to fighting just the traditional bugaboos of gerrymandering and misinformation.
October 24, 2022
As we head into the 2022 midterm elections, democracy has never been more under threat.
One of the two major parties is run by a man who has made it clear he will refuse to accept any election results that do not declare him the winner.
Millions of Americans have fallen under the spell of this con man and supporting candidates who refuse to accept election results if they do not win.
it is up to real Americans who have not fallen under the propaganda of outlets like Fox News to turn out and vote in record numbers. Because the stakes have never been higher.
Because LegalConsumer.com promotes consumer rights, we are dedicated to removing from office politicians that show open contempt for consumer rights and workers rights.
Republicans want to eliminate the Consumer Finance Protection Board, which was created to keep consumers safe from the practices of predatory lenders and excessive bank fees. When Donald Trump was president, his choice to run the CFPB was a lobbyist for the payday lending industry!
Republicans are also enemies of personal freedom. Republican legislatures across the nation are itching to enact religious conformity laws that require all Americans to adhere the religious views of conservative white evangelicals, when it cones to birth control and reproductive rights.
America does not have an official religion, nor should it. That is not proper the role of the government. Republicans — who think that conservative white evangelical so-called "Christianity" is the only true religion — must be defeated.
It is critical that informed consumers hold their elected officials accountable.
So we make no apologies for our hope that Republican candidates are defeated at every opportunity, because LegalConsumer.com is here to support working people who earn their money from hard work — not lazy rich investors who make money by ripping off consumers and screwing workers, and stoke fear and confusion through propaganda outlets like Fox News.
January 20, 2020.
This website was started four years ago, on the day Donald Trump took office.
I recognized him as a threat to democracy from the moment i heard him speak. I launched this site to fight his attack on democracy.
Four years later I am in tears and proud say "Democracy Won!!!"
I'm proud to be an American today to see that democracy has prevailed, and we can consign the name and lies of the 45 POTUS to the dustbin of history. The lastest polls show that more that 2/3 of the public support the new President.
It is time to move forward with the task of making this nation great, and inclusive, and fair, and just.
Moreover it's time for us to seize the opportunity to tap into the great talent that this nation has to offer, if we just get the crushing weight of economic hardship off of the hardworking consumers who go to work every day and truly make this nation great.
I hope you can use this site to make your elected officials accountable to you and the issues you care about.
Use this site to:
Vote!
To start, for heaven sake, make sure your voter registration is up to date.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible to reach elected officials in your city, county and state, and in the federal government. We've gone to the trouble of linking directly to the agenda's of your county's government, in the largest counties and cities in the US.
Track What They Do
Another goal of this site is to be a web portal to groups that track legislation that you may be interested in. This site does not wish to replace the great work that other organizations have done to keep government accountable and accessible. Indeed this site is dedicated to making those websites even more accessible and well known.
Resist and defeat anti-democratic forces like gerrymandering and voter suppression
This site is also dedicated to breaking down the institutions and forces that rob us of our right to vote. Things like gerrymandering and voter suppression should be offensive to anyone who believes in the fundamental wisdom of democracy, and rule by the people, not just the powerful, entrenched interests.
.... this is a work in progress, a labor of love, for democracy
Finally, this site is very much a work in progress. We are gradually filling in data for the largest cites and counties in the country and are working to expand our body of detailed county and city information as the months go by.
Also, this site is dedicated to reform efforts that aim to increase and expand the voice of the common people, such as abolishing gerrymandering and resisting efforts to suppress voter turnout.
And yes, you can get here by typing DemocracyByZipcode.com into your browser, (but Google will penalize me if make that a live link!) -- it's easy to remember, so tell your friends!
And..
Dont forget to check your voter registration!
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What is Democracy?
What is Democracy?
Democracy is the Enlightenment idea, that the authority of government derives from "the consent of the governed" -- and NOT from any "divine right" from "God."
Royalty had always asserted that God was source of legitimate authority.
But to the Enlightenment era founders -- to the extent they agreed there was a God -- viewed it as a God that bestowed the right of Liberty on everyone, not Authority on one.
And therefore, the only legitimate form of government, is one where those "endowed with Liberty" that God gave them, give up some of that liberty to be controlled (i.e. "governed") by a government that "the governed" (the people) create and control.
(See Heather Cox Richardson, Why Does Democracy Matter?)
Not a new idea. But a fragile one
Hence, this is how we get "civilized". Some organization is necessary to make and coordinate roads, water systems, sewers, libraries, schools, public transit, public safety....
And so we give up some liberty, pay taxes, and assessments, etc. for the convenience of collective action (e.g. making a town water system.)
But we can't let power get out of control.
We can't let those in power ignore the result of elections, for example.
The Enlightenment idea of Democracy, borrowed from the ancient Greeks, was the inspiration for the form of government we have in America today.
In a democracy, the power of the government exists and is granted power only by the consent of the people it governs.
The Constitution: The Blueprint for Our Democracy
The Constitution is the document that establishes and defines ("frames") the extent of government power, and establishes the framework of how it operates:
- (via elected legislators (legislatures, assemblies,town boards) who create codes and laws and statutes,
- courts (that make sure the law is followed and rule on ambiguous laws, and create case law ), and
- via elected executives (governor, president, mayor, etc, who is charged with carrying out the laws of the jurisdiction (i.e. "executing" the laws and policies that have been created by the legislature, and create agencies that make regulations )
But, the power of our government ultimately begins and ends at the ballot box
When the Constitution was passed, most states only allowed white male landowners to vote. Nobody else had the right to vote. Renters, workers who didn’t own land, could not vote.
Then the 15th amendment extended the vote to Black men after the civil war. Women still could not vote.
In the 1800’s the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution did not give women a right to vote by virtue of their citizenship.
There are still today those who argue that the Constitution doesn’t necessarily guarantee a right to vote to anyone.
You can deny the vote to someone for any reason but race or sex.
‘As long as those rules aren’t violated, governments can deny the right to vote for whatever reason they want, pretty much.
Indeed, in the this term of the Supreme Court, the Court will hear a case on whether State Legislatures have absolute unfettered right to to create arbitrary rules about who gets to vote and who doesn’t. Or whether there’s even a right to vote at all. Should be an interesting case.
That is Democracy
Whether it's representative democracy or direct democracy, it's all ultimately dependent on voting for its legitimacy.
And if that vote is not free and fair, then the legitimacy of the government itself is undermined.
But if an election is open and fair and certified and one side refuses to accept the results, then democracy is over.
Republicans are increasingly saying that they will not honor election results if they don’t win.
If that happens, and the public does not rebel, then democracy is over.
We may be perilously close to seeing an end to American democracy in our lifetimes if election denialism (the new religion of the Republican Party) becomes the norm.
Without voting, and honoring election results, there is no democracy
Since democracy is about consent of the governed, it's important that ALL of the governed who are affected by that government get a right to vote on those who govern them. If that vote is denied, democracy suffers and...
Voting is under attack today...
There are those who would like to suppress your right to vote so they can remain in power.
This site is dedicated to fighting anti-democratic forces that are threatening the enlightenment ideal that this nation was founded on.
Democracy is too important an idea to just let it be stolen from us by powerful forces who find oversight of them inconvenient.
This site is dedicated to keeping America free, and government transparent, accountable, and free of corruption.
And that can only happen if we end gerrymandering and stop voter suppression.
PRESERVE and EXERCISE your right to VOTE, and have your vote counted!!!
That starts with confirming that your voter registration is current, up to date, and accurate, so that your vote will be counted in the 2022 midterm elections and the elections going forward.
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What is representative government?
What is representative government?
Representative government is the form of democracy, that as an alternative to "direct democracy" where everyone votes on everything, instead, the people vote for "representatives" (senators, representatives, assembly members) and an "executive" (mayor, governor, president), to join together to run the affairs of government. And, in some states, voters also elect or confirm the appointment of judges.
The house of "Representatives" and "Senators" or "State Assembly" are the people's representatives, who ultimately vote on making laws, etc.
While most democracies are "representative democracies," many states have an "initiative" process by which certain issues CAN be brought to voters for a direct vote, bypassing the normal channels of representative government.
In some states like California, very major laws have been enacted by the initative process.
And many states have legalized marijuana via the initiative process, rather than through representative government.
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Who makes laws and regulations?
Who makes laws and regulations?
Legislators make laws. (I.e the “legislative branch” of government)
Administrative agencies, in the “executive branch”, (like the IRS, the FDA, OSHA, Medicare) make regulations.
Regulations are details about the laws that legislators have made.
Laws and legislation is made in legislative branch.
Not all legislation becomes law. In fact 90% of it never does. The vast majority of it never makes it out of committee.
Federal
Federal Laws
Congress: the House and the Senate.
Federal Regulations
Once laws are passed, then it is up to administrative agencies to carry them out. These agencies are charged with writing "regulations". The IRS is one such agency. It makes tax regulations that go into detail about how the tax laws should be applied in specific situations. By definition regulations generally are more voluminous than the laws themselves. Because they go into more detail and cover more different specific situations.
Proposed Regulations: Your chance to give input at “public hearings”
When agencies are adopting regulations they often have hearings and have public comment about the regulations they are proposing. For example the FTC, the federal trade commission may propose trade regulations and have a period of public comment to discuss them.
The food and drug administration may propose policies about drug prices and have hearings about that.
You can get a full list of government agencies at LegalConsumer.com here.
State Laws and Regulations
In Ohio things work pretty much the same way but the names of the legislative bodies might be different. For example, the house of representatives might be called an assembly in certain states. In some states the legislative branch only meets a few months a year. The job of the legislative branch is to create laws to deal with the problems of government.
County Laws and Regulations
Counties tend to have rules about what you can and cannot build, and building codes generally.
Every county has a board of some sort that sets an Agenda for board meetings to discuss things like:
- the county budget,
- whether funds should be allocated to some local public purpose, and
- whether real estate development is allowed to proceed.
- County bus lines and services
City and Township laws and regulations
- Sale of Liquor or Marijuana
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What is a city council? A county commission? A board of supervisors? And why should I care?
What is a city council? A county commission? A board of supervisors? And why should I care?
A City Council is a group of elected officials responsible for making decisions and laws at the local level within a city. They handle matters like budgets, ordinances, and policies that affect the city's residents.
A County Commission (or Board of County Commissioners) is a body of elected officials responsible for governing a county. They oversee various county services, such as public safety, infrastructure, and budget allocation.
A Board of Supervisors is similar to a City Council but operates at the county level. They are elected officials who manage county legislation, oversee public services, approve budgets, and ensure efficient operations within the county.
Why Should You Care?
Understanding the roles of these bodies is crucial as they directly impact your daily life. City Councils make decisions on local issues like schools and roads, County Commissions manage services like law enforcement and public works, while Boards of Supervisors ensure effective governance and service delivery in counties. By being aware of their functions, you can participate in local governance, influence policies that affect you directly, and ensure efficient use of public resources