There will be two statewide ballot issues on the November ballot. The ballot will also include races for local offices.

Local and state races on the November ballot will include open positions for city council, village council, trustees, and school boards, including the Lawrence County Educational Service Center, as well as the county municipal court and the city municipal court.

“All the candidates have until Aug. 9 to file,” said Lawrence County Board of Elections Director Catherine Overbeck. “It’s the same deadline for candidates, issues and local options.”

While no local issues have been filed yet, Overbeck said there are three possible ones. The first is a 1-mill renewal of a Perry Township fire levy, a .5 mill renewal of the joint vocational school levy and an additional 1-mill levy for expenses for the Adams, Lawrence, Scioto Counties Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. There are some local options issues being circulated but nothing filed yet.

Ohio Secretary of State John Husted set the two statewide issues on July 21. The first deals with the rights of crime victims and the other deals with the price of prescription drugs.

The crime victims’ rights issue, also called Marsy’s Law, would amend the Ohio Crime Victims Bill of Rights and would give more privacy to the victim, allow the victim to be present at all public proceedings involving the criminal, including parole and court proceedings, reasonable notice of the release or escape of the accused, and the right to refuse some discovery requests by the accused, including confidential records.

The name comes from a California law that was passed after Marsy Nicholas was stalked and then murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 1983. A week after the murder, Nicholas’ family ran into the ex-boyfriend at a store. They were dismayed to find out he had been released, but they had not been notified.

The second statewide ballot issue is called the Drug Price Relief Act.

According to the text of the proposed act, the state could pay the same prices for prescription drugs that the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs pays with a goal of reducing the price of medication. The act would apply to agencies that help pay for prescriptions and to programs like Ohio Best Rx and Ohio HIV Drug Assistance.

The General Election will be Tuesday, Nov. 7.  The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10.

Absentee voting for the military and American citizens living overseas begins Sept. 23. Early in-person voting begins on Oct. 11. Absentee voting by mail begins on Oct. 11. Poll stations will be open on Nov. 7 from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

For voter information go to www.electionsonthe.net/oh/lawrence.