Monday, November 2nd, 2026

Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.

Today is National Ohio Day, a chance for those who live here to celebrate and appreciate the Buckeye State’s place as the 17th state to join the Union.

Today’s Top of the Fold gets you ready for Tuesday: what to bring to the polls, why Ohio leads the nation in data center fights, and Cincinnati’s big levy.

And our editorial diagnoses a case of data center syndrome and explains why Grove City’s Issue 28 could send new high schools back to the ballot.

STATEWIDE — Election Day is Tuesday, and polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

Voters will choose a governor, a U.S. senator, and two Ohio Supreme Court justices, and decide Issue 3, the photo ID amendment. 

Bring a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. 

Anyone in line by 7:30 p.m. can vote. Voters still holding absentee ballots should drop them off at their county board of elections. 

Find your polling place here.

STATEWIDE — Voters in 18 Ohio communities decide data center measures Tuesday, more than in any other state. 

Ohio has 21 of the 39 data center measures on ballots nationwide, from outright bans in Piqua, Urbana and Sunbury to Grove City’s Issue 28, which would require voter approval for large projects. 

Nationally, all four measures decided so far favored more restrictions. 

Tuesday’s results could show whether the local backlash is spreading and shape how Ohio’s next governor handles the industry.

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Public Schools’ Issue 4, a five-year, 7-mill levy, is one of the biggest school funding questions on Tuesday’s ballot. 

It would raise about $66.3 million a year and cost homeowners about $245 per $100,000 of home value. 

If it fails, the district says it may close schools, cut busing and add athletic fees as it faces a projected $89 million deficit by 2030.

Elsewhere in Southwest Ohio, Fairfield and North College Hill are trying again after May defeats.

After laying an egg in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Ohio State has little time to dwell on its 30-18 loss to Southern California. The Buckeyes return to Ohio Stadium on Saturday to face Oregon in a key Big Ten matchup. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS. Ryan Day will meet with the media Tuesday, where he will likely face questions about penalties, playcalling and injuries.

A large swath of Ohio is suffering from data center syndrome. The main symptom: Say the words “data center” and a community fires up the petition flyers, heads to the farmers market and eventually lands at the board of elections with the 1,138 valid signatures it needs.

On Tuesday, 18 Ohio communities vote on data center measures, more than in any other state.

The warm-up acts are Piqua and Upper Sandusky, where charter amendments would ban data center construction outright.

Then comes the main act, the mother of all charter amendments: Grove City’s Issue 28. Issue 28 doesn’t stop at data centers. For those of us who actually read the amendment, it felt like a Ginsu knife commercial: “But wait, there’s more!”

It would require a citywide vote on large projects of 50 or more acres, more than 20 megawatts, or more than 500,000 gallons of water a day. That net could catch warehouses, hospitals, churches, and other large employers that have nothing to do with AI. 

Make no mistake, the concerns behind these measures are absolutely real. People worry about their utility bills, water, and losing farmland. But writing development rules into a city charter makes them hard to change and turns every big project into a political campaign.

No matter if you’re on the red or blue team, when Ohio towns slam the door, the jobs and tax dollars pack up and move to places like Indiana or West Virginia, and Ohio families may follow them.

There’s a better tool. A moratorium is when clear-minded adults meet and discuss facts. They take the emotion out, look at consequences, and offer alternatives. A charter amendment locks in the fear of the moment and makes it permanent.

Grove City’s leaders started out clear-minded. In June, City Council passed a 12-month moratorium on data centers. Then, about a month later, a 19-section charter amendment surfaced at City Hall. Shazam!

On the same Grove City ballot, South-Western City Schools is asking for a $220 million bond to build new high schools. A new high school campus can easily cover 50 acres or more. The city’s own analysis says Issue 28 reaches schools, and the amendment offers no exemption for public bodies. Vote yes on both, and the school you just funded may have to return to the ballot.

Before Tuesday, read the label. There’s no cure for charter amendment remorse.

This editorial reflects the views of The Pennant Editorial Board. Questions or comments are welcome at [email protected].

What is your favorite Halloween candy?
- Reese's - 40%
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- Skittles - 10%
- Other - 10%

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