Voting at Nutter Center | Photo by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian.
On August 8, Ohio will hold a special election to vote on Issue 1, which could mean serious changes to the amendment process for the state constitution.
What is Issue 1?
Issue 1 would change the way amendments can be made to Ohio’s state constitution.
There are two ways to make amendments to the Ohio constitution. Ohio’s Congress (the House or the Senate) can propose an amendment, or a citizen can propose one with a petition.
The current requirements for a citizen’s proposal are as follows: the citizen must get signatures from 5% of registered voters in 44 out of Ohio’s 88 counties, and the citizen also has an additional 10-day period to replace any signatures that the attorney general’s office deems faulty.
After meeting those requirements, a proposal is allowed on the ballot for the next election. Once an amendment is on the ballot, the current rules state that a simple majority, 50% plus one, must vote in favor of the amendment for it to pass.
Issue 1 would change these stipulations quite drastically. Issue 1 states that, for a citizen’s proposal to end up on the ballot, the number of required signatures jumps to 5% of registered voters in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Issue 1 also removes the 10-day grace period to replace any faulty signatures.
Once on the ballot, whether by citizen’s proposal or congressional proposal, Issue 1 requires that a supermajority, a minimum of 60%, of voters must vote in favor of the amendment in order for it to pass.
Voter’s forum
On June 27, the League of Women Voters hosted an informational forum in Dayton. This forum featured Republican Bob Taft, a former Ohio governor, and Democrat Michael Curtin, a former Ohio House legislator and retired Columbus Dispatch editor.
Taft and Curtin explained that regardless of whether you support Issue 1 or not, bringing it to voters in a special election was the wrong way to go about it.
Taft explained that August elections have a low turnout, so it is a mistake to bring such a large change to the ballot during that time. Last year’s special election had less than 10% of all registered voters attend, according to Taft’s recollection.
While both Taft and Curtin oppose Issue 1, both explained that their main opposition does not necessarily lie within the bill itself, but more so with the fact that it is presented at a special election.
Curtin also mentioned the supermajority requirement for any amendment to pass, naming many amendments that seem fairly integral to life now but did not pass with more than 60% approval at the time, including amendments that determined neighborhood allowance of alcohol, instilled property tax laws and established a minimum wage.
Why it matters
Regardless of whether supporting or opposing Issue 1, voting in local elections is incredibly important. Issue 1, at its core, is about the people’s say in Ohio’s constitution.
Voting on August 8 is a chance to have a say in both the Ohio state constitution and Ohio’s citizen’s lives.
