The debate will air live on nine NBC affiliate stations and will stream live on each station’s website.Ohio NBC affiliated stations have partnered to present the first televised statewide debate of Issue 2, the referendum on Senate Bill 5. The debate will be broadcast from Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, October 25 from 7 p.m. to8 p.m. It will be carried live on WKYC Cleveland, WCMH Columbus, WLWT Cincinnati, WDTN Dayton, WLIO Lima, WNWO Toledo, WTOV Wheeling/Steubenville, WFMJ Youngstown, and WHIZ Zanesville. It will also be streamed live on each of the stations’ websites.
Debating Issue 2 will be State Senator Keith Faber of Building a Better Ohio, who will be defending Issue 2, and Former Ohio Congressman Dennis Eckart of We Are Ohio, which opposes Issue 2.
Issue 2 is a referendum on Senate Bill 5, a controversial new law that made changes to a variety of government laws and policies. The bill was signed into law by Governor John Kasich earlier this year. A “yes” vote would keep the law, a “no” vote would be a vote to repeal the law.
NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd will moderate the debate. Serving as panelists for the Ohio NBC stations are WKYC Senior Political Reporter Tom Beres, WCMH Anchor Colleen Marshall, and WLWT Anchor/Reporter Sheree Paolello.
“Issue 2, like Senate Bill 5 before it, has evoked intense public scrutiny from both sides over the past year,” said Dan Bradley, General Manager of WCMH and spokesperson for the Ohio NBC stations. “This debate reaffirms the NBC stations’ commitment to quality and comprehensive coverage of the issues that matter most to Ohioans. Our goal with this debate is to educate our communities and clarify the myriad of details of this contentious issue.”
If you have a question you would like answered in the debate, be sure to e-mail @ Issue2@wkyc.com
