Meet Jessie Balmert, state government reporter

"You cover ... politics?"

The question is nearly always accompanied by a look of shock, consolation or disgust — like they might catch the politics clinging to my suit jacket or backpack.

I don't blame them.

Only 4% of the public says the political system in the U.S. is working extremely or very well today, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey. A growing number of people believe members of the opposite party as not just wrong in their policy positions but also immoral, dishonest and lazy, according to a 2022 Pew poll.

But some are intrigued by my job: "Did you meet former President Donald Trump or former President Barack Obama?" Once again, I must disappoint them: only from afar while sweating in an Olentangy Orange High School auditorium or straining to hear at East High School in Cleveland.

Most of the time, I cover state government and politics, the middle child between Congress and city hall.

I spend a lot of time trying to explain why this level of government is important and affects their lives. State lawmakers decide how much you pay in taxes, how much money goes to your school, what kind of health care you can or cannot access and importantly, which cookie will be designated the state's official cookie. (It's not looking good for the sugar cookie.)

I started reporting on state politics in 2015 for the Cincinnati Enquirer after stints at the Newark Advocate and Media Network of Central Ohio, a group of 10 newspapers. I now write for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which includes the Columbus Dispatch, Akron Beacon Journal and Canton Repository.

During that time, I have reported on Ohio's largest pay-to-play scandal involving a Fortune 500 company, one of Ohio's top politicians and a slew of others. We learn more about that scheme every day.

I've covered messy voter rolls, loopholes in Ohio's background check system and an overhaul of how politicians draw congressional and statehouse districts − a lengthy, unconstitutional process that left me watching two out-of-state consultants in a room crafting maps and pondering their dinner orders.

This work is critical because people behave differently when they know they are being watched. It's as true of children caught pilfering cookies by their parents as it is of politicians caught passing unpopular bills in the dead of night.

The number of full-time statehouse reporters nationwide dropped 34% between 2014 and 2022, the Pew Research Center reported. Ohio's legislative press corps is one of the largest (and I'd argue talent-rich) in the nation, but there are never enough eyes and ears on the people in power.

But politics isn't all bad. I've met plenty of public servants who wake up each morning thinking about ways they can make Ohio a better place to live. They care more about the cause than the credit. They give me hope that politics doesn't have to be this divisive and that we can find creative solutions to the state's biggest problems.

If you know me, it might be from Gov. Mike DeWine's daily COVID-19 news conferences or WOSU's weekly news shows "Columbus on the Record" or "All Sides with Anna Staver." If you can't pick me out of a crowd, that's OK, too. I'd rather my reporting speak for itself.

But since you're here, I'll share that I'm a Columbus native, Bishop Watterson High School graduate and an alumna of Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Marching 110. My first job was delivering The Booster in Clintonville, but I also popped a mean popcorn at the Lennox Town Center 24. I volunteer with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) so I can watch live theater for free.

If you spot me around Columbus or on the campaign trail, you can ask me about how I visited all of the Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks, why Chestnut Praline Lattes are the best Starbucks holiday drink or what should be the depth chart for Ohio State's next quarterback room.

Anything but politics.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meet Jessie Balmert, state government reporter