© 2007 The Ohio Secretary of State & The Ohio Public Library Information Network
 

White Trillium (trillium grandiflorum)

State Board of Education
Members elected to four year terms
Term limit: None

The Ohio Board of Education regulates every school in the state, whether tax-supported or not, from preschool through high school. The board also sets standards for educating and certifying Ohio teachers. The board provides leadership toward the continuous improvement of Ohio schools by making legislative and budgetary recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly. There are 19 board members, 11 elected and eight appointed by the governor.

Ohio House of Representatives
Elected to a two-year term
Term limit: four consecutive two-year terms
Ohio Senate
Elected to a four-year term
Term limit: two consecutive four-year terms

Together, these two bodies are referred to as the General Assembly. Ohio's House of Representatives has 99 members; the Senate has 33. The General Assembly debates bills that are proposed for adoption as laws. Most bills require a majority vote in both the Senate and the House to pass. If a bill passes in both chambers, it is then presented to the governor to be signed into law. The collection of Ohio laws is called the Ohio Revised Code.

The Supreme Court of Ohio
Justices elected to six-year terms
Term limit: None; Age limit: 70 years

The Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Ohio. Most of its cases are appeals from the 12 district courts of appeals. The Supreme Court also has appellate jurisdiction in cases involving questions arising under the Ohio or United States Constitutions, cases originating in the courts of appeals, and cases in which there have been conflicting opinions on the same question from two or more courts of appeals. The Supreme Court hears all cases in which the death penalty has been imposed.

1851 - Current Ohio Constitution adopted.

1859 - John Brown, an abolitionist from Akron, leads raid on Harper's Ferry, VA.

1861 - Ohio Statehouse completed.

1863 - The Battle of Buffington Island becomes the only Civil War battle in Ohio.