Canine Christmas
AIDS exhibit
Cold weather arrives
Minimum-wage issue makes the Nov. 7 ballot
Voters will decide if state will require workers to be paid at least $6.85 an hour, up from $5.15.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
COLUMBUS — Ohioans will get to vote on at least one statewide issue on Nov. 7 — a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.85 an hour.
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's office informed backers of the proposal Tuesday that they had collected enough signatures to qualify.
Extras
Supporters of a proposal to bring slot machines to Ohio horse tracks and two Cleveland locations this week turned in an additional 43,846 signatures to Blackwell's office and are confident their issue also will qualify, said Linda Siefkas, spokeswoman for the Ohio Learn and Earn Committee.
The signatures will be sent to county boards of election to be checked. Blackwell's office last month told backers of the issue that they needed an additional 8,716 signatures.
A portion of the gambling proceeds would go to college scholarships and some would go for economic development.
Blackwell's office hasn't notified backers of two smoking-related issues as to whether they submitted enough signatures to get on the ballot, said James Lee, Blackwell's spokesman.
One issue would ban smoking in places of employment and most enclosed places statewide. The second would ban smoking in most businesses, with exemptions for bars, bowling alleys and some other businesses.
Backers of a fifth proposal, which would repeal workers' compensation benefit cuts approved this year, are confident they will get the additional 72,962 signatures Blackwell's office has told them are needed, said Stephen Mindzak, their attorney.
