Ohio Business Votes

Current Officeholder: Gov. Bob Taft (R)
Status: First elected in 1998; Re-elected in 2002; Ineligible to seek another term due to term-limits.
Term: Four years
Duties: The governor is the chief executive officer of state government, responsible for proposing the state budget, appointing state department directors and for signing bills into law.

2006 Candidates:
	Ted Strickland (D)
	J. Kenneth Blackwell (R)
	Bob Fitrakis (G)
	William S. Peirce (L)

Current Officeholder: Attorney General Jim Petro (R)
Status: Elected in 2002; Running for governor.
Term: Four years
Duties: The attorney general is the state’s chief law enforcement officer, representing the state and its departments, boards, and agencies in all civil and criminal cases in which the state is directly or indirectly involved. The attorney general is responsible for the collection of debts owed to the state and has enforcement authority in areas such as consumer protection, charitable solicitation, antitrust actions, and organized crime. The office also provides criminal justice support services.

2006 Candidates:TES
	Marc Dann (D)
	Betty Montgomery (R)

Current Officeholder: Auditor Betty Montgomery (R)
Status: Elected in 2002; Running for attorney general.
Term: Four years
Duties: The auditor is responsible for auditing all public offices in Ohio, including cities, villages, schools, universities, counties, townships, and state agencies, boards, and commissions. The auditor is a member of the five-person Apportionment Board, which meets every 10 years following the decennial census to redraw boundaries for each of Ohio’s state legislative districts.

2006 Candidates:
	Barbara Sykes (D)
	Mary Taylor (R)

Current Officeholder: Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R)
Status: First elected in 1998; Re-elected in 2002; Ineligible to seek another term due to term-limits; Running for governor.
Term: Four years
Duties: The secretary of state is Ohio’s chief elections officer, overseeing the elections process. The office also receives, approves, and records articles of incorporation for Ohio businesses and keeps the laws and resolutions passed by the Ohio General Assembly. The secretary of state is a member of the five-person Apportionment Board, which meets every 10 years following the decennial census to redraw boundaries for each of Ohio’s state legislative districts.

2006 Candidates:
	Jennifer Brunner (D)
	Greg Hartmann (R)
	Timothy Kettler (G)
	John A. Eastman (I)

Current Officeholder: Treasurer Jeannette Bradley (R)
Status: Appointed to fill a vacancy in January 2005; Running for a full term.
Term: Four years
Duties: The duties of the treasurer are to collect, manage, invest, and protect the state’s financial assets. The treasurer collects most state taxes and also serves as the chief statutory custodian for the state’s five public employee retirement systems, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Endowment Fund, the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority, and the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Fund.

2006 Candidates:
	Richard Cordray (D)
	Sandy O’Brien (R)