To the Editor:
Ohio voters dependably turn out to vote in November elections. Usually going to vote in August is not forefront in the minds of Ohio voters. Which is ironically why the Republican dominated Ohio legislature reversed a new law that had taken effect in January, specifically passed to eliminate wasteful August elections. This upcoming August vote will it is estimated, unnecessarily cost and waste $20 million in taxpayer dollars.
In May, Republican legislators added the Aug. 8 special election for “one” issue that seeks to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution. If passed, the amendment would raise the threshold for citizens passing future constitutional changes from a simple majority, as it’s been for more than a century, to 60%.
A departure from the majority plus one (51%) that legislation traditionally has needed to pass muster, will remain as the standard for legislation from the state houses.
A citizen petition would under Issue 1 require signatures in all 88 Ohio counties as opposed to the current 44 counties. Their effort to, using their phrase to “protect the Ohio Constitution”, will make citizen initiated legislation almost impossible. So if the citizens are unhappy with legislative efforts there will be no redress. Issue One is designed to “protect the Ohio Constitution,” from voters democratic participation.
It is reported that all Ohio’s living ex-governors, both Democrats and Republicans, and five bipartisan former attorneys general oppose the constitutional change, along with a sweeping coalition of labor, faith, voting rights, civil rights and community groups.
It is critical that every voter in Ohio vote no on Issue 1 this August to demonstrate that the citizens of Ohio are paying attention and are unwilling to lose a right for citizen initiative that has been part of the Ohio Constitution for over a century, since 1912.
David J. Neuendorff
Bowling Green
