Politics

Ohioans will be able to vote this November on whether they want to participate in the national health care overhaul.

Secretary of State Jon Husted said Tuesday that opponents to the overhaul collected nearly 427,000 valid signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The measure needed roughly 385,000 signatures.

At question is a proposed amendment to Ohio's Constitution to keep people from being required to buy health insurance or face penalties. The federal mandate would go into effect in 2014, when new competitive insurance exchanges are scheduled to open.

Tea party activists in House Speaker John Boehner's district are offering him encouragement in the debt crisis negotiations.

They say they want to show support for Boehner's tough position in the showdown in Washington.

A couple hundred supporters, rallied Monday afternoon in West Chester Township. Boehner and other congressional leaders are working to find agreement on a deficit reduction plan with a stated Aug. 2 deadline

Cincinnati tea party leader Mike Wilson says he and others want Boehner to make sure there are significant federal spending cuts.

In the week's PoliticsOhio, Emily McCord speaks with Bill Coehn with the Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau. Cohen breaks down the result of several of this week's Quinnipeac polls. It includes how Kasich's approval rate is sinking, mixed news on President Obama in the state, and how Ohioans feel about the new health care law. Also, Cohen reports on the national implications on collective bargaining. Ohio voters will decide its fate in November.