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Ohio license plate slogans: God the clear winner, LeBron an object of scorn 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s pretty clear: Ohioans love God. And they also love to mock Ohio State football. 

Don’t believe it? Take a look at the list of phrases folks would like to see displayed on Ohio’s new license plates, which will debut later this year. 

About three-quarters of the nearly 400,000 responses the state received contained the word God, with most of those settling on Ohio’s motto, “With God, all things are possible.” 

The suggestions were solicited by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles as part of a promotional campaign for the new plates. 

In November, Gov. John Kasich announced that the plates would display 30 to 40 phrases in faint gray lettering against a white background and raised blue numerals and letters. The state suggested a few dozen slogans, but write-in ideas were also accepted. Voting closed on Monday. 

Many of the responses were kind and well-intended and mentioned prized destinations, like Lake Erie, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, or simply, “Home.” Or they cited famous Ohioans -- Jesse Owens, John Glenn, or one of the eight United States presidents Ohio claims. 

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But some were downright mean and surely won’t make the final cut, such as “Worst State Ever,” “O-Lie-O” and 81 votes for phrases containing the word “sucks.” You get the picture. 

The governor, whose approval ratings have fallen, was the object of scorn in some of the suggested slogans -- “Impeach Kasich” is one suggestion we can print. Kasich has company, though: LeBron James. We can’t print the vulgarities slamming the former Cavs star. 

And a few were outright funny: “At least we’re not Michigan,” one slogan proclaimed. 

The Ohio city most often named in the suggestions was Cleveland, with 324 votes, most of those referencing the Cleveland Orchestra. That was followed by Cincinnati with 276 votes, and then Columbus with just 13. 

And at least in this polling, the Browns handily beat both the Bengals and Steelers. 

And then there is Ohio State. There were more than 2,000 votes for slogans mentioning the university, including “The Ohio State University,” “Go Bucks,” and “OH-IO,” the chant often associated with the Columbus school. 

But about half of the OSU-related suggestions referenced the school’s embarrassing recent NCAA scandal, including “Free tattoos.” 

Terrelle Pryor, the former OSU quarterback who left the school in 2010 amid scandal, pulled in nearly 800 votes from fans or haters, many of whom cannot spell his first name -- there were seven different variations. 

And then there was Pryor’s coach, Jim Tressel, who was booted from the school and subsequently punished by the NCAA over the same issue. 

Tressel received only 16 votes, far fewer than the football program’s most popular coach ever, Woody Hayes, who reeled in 656 votes. Even Hayes’ arch-nemesis, Bo Schembechler, former coach of That School Up North, got 225 votes. Go figure. 

The Department of Motor Vehicles will now sift through the responses and pick which ones will appear on the plates. 

Here are about 50 of the most popular slogans Ohioans (and others) suggested for the state’s redesigned license plate. Use the arrow buttons below to navigate the list. Each entry’s vote tally appears beneath it -- and you can add your own idea, just for grins, in the entry space at bottom. It will appear in the same place as the official mottos, though it will not be saved. 

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