Signatures counted for Ohio casino campaign

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s elections chief is counting signatures to see whether a proposal to place casinos in Ohio’s four largest cities will make the fall ballot.

Today is the deadline for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to tell the issue’s backers whether 402,000 of the 850,000 signatures they submitted are valid.

If they are, Ohioans would face the possibility of expanding gambling for the second time in a year. State leaders legalized lottery-run slots machines at racetracks in the budget signed Friday.

If the number of valid signatures falls short, the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee will have 10 days to gather more. Brunner separately launched an investigation of the committee’s signature-gathering process Monday. That action was followed by an immediate challenge in the Ohio Supreme Court.