Law & Democracy Podcast is a public affairs conversation facilitated by the Election Law Program at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. The podcast hosts are Ned Foley, Steve Huefner, Terri Enns, Anne Ralph, and Tony Gaughan. They are joined on a regular basis by leading scholars and journalists for an intelligent, informative, and nonpartisan discussion of law and democracy issues. For more information and resources, visit Election Law at Ohio State (moritzlaw.osu.edu/election-law). And don’t forget to follow us on X @lawanddemocracypod, where you can ask questions and share your thoughts! Subscribe to stay informed and engaged in the world where law and democracy intersect.
Senate Bill 395 and Consensus Choice Voting in Ohio: A Conversation with Senator Louis Blessing
hio State Senator Louis W. Blessing, III joins Law & Democracy to make the case for Senate Bill 395, the first bill in any state legislature to propose a form of Consensus Choice voting. The bill would replace Ohio’s partisan primaries with a single primary open to every voter, send the top three finishers to November, and decide the general election through head-to-head matchups among those three. A candidate who beats both opponents wins. No ranking, no runoff, no extra rounds.
Senator Blessing traces how his interest in antitrust and money in politics led him to electoral reform, and explains why he voted to ban ranked choice voting in Ohio but kept looking for a reform that could work. He credits former state legislators Gene Krebs and Sean Logan with bringing him the idea, walks through what voters would see on the primary and general election ballots, and describes how results could be tallied in real time on election night.
The conversation also covers why he believes independents, who make up the majority of Ohio’s registered voters, stand to gain the most, how open primaries could blunt the influence of big money, what the bill’s prospects look like in the next General Assembly, whether a constitutional amendment for open primaries could serve as a first step, and his separate proposal to expand the size of the Ohio General Assembly. Ned Foley and Senator Blessing also discuss candidate recruitment and retention, including former Senator Rob Portman’s decision not to seek reelection in 2022.
Join us on Friday, October 2, 2026 at the Moritz College of Law for a full-day conference on Consensus Choice voting, beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Attend in person or online. This event is approved for 5.75 hours of CLE credit. Event details and online access: go.osu.edu/consensus-choice-voting (https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/events/consensus-choice-voting-conference)
12 Sept 2026
The Postal Service’s Mail-Ballot Rule: A Conversation with Justin Levitt
Law & Democracy returns for Season 3 with the biggest election law controversy of the 2026 midterms: the Postal Service's new mail-in ballot rules. The hosts sit down with Professor Justin Levitt of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and former White House Senior Policy Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights, to break down where the court fight stands and where it's headed.
8 Jul 2026
Inside NRSC v. FEC and Watson v. RNC: The Supreme Court’s New Verdicts on Money and Ballots
How will the Supreme Court’s latest blockbusters reshape the financial and procedural landscape of American elections? In the final episode of season two of Law & Democracy, hosts Tony Gaughan, Steve Huefner, and Ned Foley break down the National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC, a major campaign finance decision, and Watson v. Republican National Committee, a pivotal ruling on mail-in ballot deadlines.
Thank you for listening to Season 2! Like, subscribe, and share if you enjoyed the season. Questions or comments? Drop them below or email electionlaw@osu.edu.
Recorded Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Who has been a guest on Law & Democracy
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Edward Foley
Anthony Gaughan
Terri Enns
Maureen Edobor
Brad Smith
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