To the Editor:
The Ohio legislature is considering conducting a special election in August in which voters would be deciding only one issue: whether citizen ballot initiatives should be harder.
Lawmakers have until May 10 to pass HJR1/SJR2, which would require that Constitutional amendments pass by 60% rather than a simple majority. The bill might come to the House floor this week.
A fact that has only recently emerged is that the campaign for HJR1 is being financed by an out-of-state megadonor, Richard Uihlein of Illinois. Clearly this donor has no vested interest in the Constitution of Ohio. His involvement is a transparent attempt to influence political decisions that comport with his personal perspectives rather than an effort to improve the quality of lives of residents of Ohio.
A special election this August would put unnecessary strain on the board of elections and cost Ohio taxpayers at least $20 million — money that should be spent on worthy projects in Ohio.
The current process of citizen-initiated amendments has been in place since 1912 and has resulted in advancements such as pensions for war veterans, school construction, protections from monopolies, low-income housing assistance and investments in local economic development. Many of these initiatives would not have passed under the proposed changes.
We are encouraging residents in House District 75 to contact Ohio Rep. Haraz Ghanbari at 614-466-8104 and urge him to vote against this undemocratic bill and to object to Uihlein’s out-of-state interference. We also ask readers to contact House Speaker Jason Stephens at 614-466-1366 and ask him not to bring the bill to the House floor.
Residents of other House districts can find their representatives’ phone numbers at https://ohiohouse.gov/members/district-map.
Janet Parks, president
Lee McLaird, member
League of Women Voters of Bowling Green
