A pair of competing Ohio ballot items on public smoking are clashing a month before voters get a chance to weigh in.

Backers of both a tough indoor-smoking ban and a weaker alternative supported by the tobacco industry have asked the state or the courts to remove the other question from the ballot; so far, officials and judges have refused, the Toledo Blade reported Oct. 4.

Both sides have sought to invalidate the petition signatures gathered by the other in order to derail the competing campaign.

In the latest action, the Ohio secretary of state refused SmokeFreeOhio's bid to use a technicality to invalidate the signatures gathered by Smoke Less Ohio in support of the weaker ban. Smoke Less Ohio is currently arguing a similar case before the state Supreme Court in order to get the SmokeFreeOhio measure off the ballot.