august election
Early vote figures continue their tear in Ohio’s August special election
Early vote totals, already surpassing expectations, have only accelerated as the August 8 election gets closer. Voters will determine whether it should be harder to approve future constitutional amendments. Through the first seven days, about 16,000 voters showed up to cast their ballots each day. Fourteen days in, however, that average has risen to more […]
Ohio Secretary of State rejected old absentee forms for Issue 1, then allowed supporters to use them
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose seems to have selectively applied the rules around Ohio law to benefit Issue 1 supporters after they made a mistake by sending out old absentee ballot request forms. Within hours, LaRose announced they were OK to use, but in June, when a Cleveland newspaper printed old forms, dozens of […]
The People’s Law: William Jennings Bryan’s speech to the 1912 Ohio Constitutional Convention
Editor’s Note: We’ve talked about how Republican President Teddy Roosevelt spoke to the Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1912, and we’ve republished his comments in full. Early 20th Century perennial Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan also spoke to the convention about how crucial citizen power through initiative is. I’ve highlighted particularly pertinent sections in bold […]
Ohio Issue 1 isn’t about any one issue — It’s about every issue and the power Ohio voters have
Proponents of State Issue 1 frame it as a referendum on abortion to drive single-issue voter turnout in the August 8 election. For the record, Issue 1 is not a referendum on abortion or “Protecting Ohio’s Preborn,” as the Ohio Right to Life website claims. It’s about your right to have your say about abortion, […]
Answering questions about Ohio’s Issue 1 on the ballot August 8
Ohio Capital Journal/WEWS viewers and readers have sent in dozens of questions about Issue 1 — the GOP proposal to make it more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution ahead of the likely abortion legalization vote. This is a complicated situation, so OCJ/WEWS posted a request for additional viewer questions on the station’s social media […]
Columbus Metropolitan Club hosts debate over supermajority amendment
In Columbus on Wednesday, state Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, and former state representative and Dispatch editor Mike Curtin debated Issue 1. This August, Ohio voters will weigh whether to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. McColley co-sponsored the legislation that sent the question to the ballot, and Curtin has been one of […]
Voter deadlines approaching for Ohio’s August special election
Deadlines are coming up quick for Ohio voters participating in the Aug. 8 special election over State Issue 1, which seeks to make it harder for voters to amend the Ohio Constitution by raising the threshold from 50% to 60%, and increases the number of counties ballot signatures for citizen initiatives must be collected, from […]
Ohio Republicans breaking law and the constitution however they wish, with no accountability
You and I can’t ignore the law without consequence. Lead foots flying down the turnpike can’t sweet talk their way out of a hefty ticket (not that I haven’t tried). The rule of law permeates all aspects of our lives from driving to protecting our general safety and ensuring our rights. We don’t always like […]
In split decision Ohio Supreme Court allows Aug. 8 election to go forward
Along party lines, the Ohio Supreme Court on Friday gave the green light to an attempt by Republican leaders of the state’s gerrymandered legislature to make it much harder for voters to amend the state Constitution. The court ruled in a 4-3 decision that it’s OK for the issue to be placed on the Aug. […]
One Toledo law professor is helping drive two of this year’s most controversial proposals in Ohio
Since introducing a plan last year to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution, supporters have insisted their proposal was an issue-neutral effort to protect the state’s founding document. But advocates for a new 60% threshold for constitutional amendments have repeatedly hewed toward a variety of very specific issues: Firearms groups worried about future […]
Ohio Ballot Board approves language for 60% amendment proposal along party lines, again
One day after an Ohio Supreme Court ruling, the Ohio Ballot Board revised the language for State Issue 1, the Aug. 8 proposal asking voters to require future constitutional amendments clear a 60% supermajority for passage. The court ordered board members to fix inaccuracies in the ballot language they adopted about a month ago. And […]
Ohio advocates against Issue 1 confident measure will fail in August 8 election
Two months from the August special election, advocates against the proposal to make it more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution feel confident Issue 1 will fail. All around Ohio, petitioners are asking for signatures to support their cause. Some, like Kyle Marcum with Ohio Citizen Action, go door to door. “We’re asking you to […]