Columbus Dispatch...
Advertising ballot issues costs state $2.1 million
By Jim Siegel  
October  3,  2011 

The state Controlling Board on Monday approved $2.1 million for the secretary of state’s office to advertise the three statewide ballot issues in newspapers across the state, a rate that caught some lawmakers by surprise for being so economical. 

The state Constitution requires that ballot issues be printed in full in daily circulation newspapers three times before the election. Douglas Lumpkin, chief operating officer of the secretary of state’s office, told the legislative spending oversight panel that the office used a different process this time, going to AdOhio, an affiliate of the Ohio Newspaper Association, instead of negotiating individually with each newspaper. 

That, Lumpkin said, dropped the cost of distributing the 60-page insert from an estimated $4.5 million to $2.1 million. Most of that is dedicated to state Issue 2, which requires the printing of the entire 300-page law known as Senate Bill 5. 

Some, including Rep. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, questioned whether the state should continue to advertise state issues in print newspapers when there are other options available, particularly online. Such a change would require a constitutional amendment approved by Ohio voters. 

Read it at the Columbus Dispatch