brian stewart
Ohio House approves rules package over the objection of right-wing GOP bloc
Usually a procedural afterthought, the Ohio House approved a new rules package Tuesday over the bitter objections of right-wing lawmakers. The provisions lay out the ground rules for the coming session. Republicans who backed Rep. Derek Merrin for speaker argue they were locked out of the process. Rejected rules included allowing guns on the floor, […]
Unintended consequences? If amendments are harder to pass so are bonds
Opponents of the Republican effort to make it harder to amend Ohio’s constitution added a new concern to the list Thursday. Already, critics have warned the changes are meant to stymie future abortion rights or redistricting initiatives, which the sponsor himself said in a letter to fellow Ohio House Republicans. Now, former state representative and […]
Ohio House Republican faction brings back proposal making it harder for voters to pass amendments
After more than an hour behind closed doors, a bloc of Ohio Republicans led by state Rep. Derek Merrin, Monclova Twp., trooped through the Ohio Statehouse. The faction — thirty-odd lawmakers who wound up on the losing side of the House Speaker’s race last week— climbed three floors and squeezed into the clerk’s office. After […]
Ohio’s new Republican crybaby caucus another consequence of gerrymandering
After a weeklong meltdown of moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, a new faction of Ohio House Republicans capped off their temper tantrum Wednesday by revitalizing plans to subject the Ohio Constitution and all Ohioans to extremist minority rule. Last week, 54 adults in the Ohio House came together in a bipartisan vote to elect […]
Proposal to make future amendments more difficult to pass will return next year, sponsor indicates
A last-minute bid to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution ran out of steam during the lame duck session, but the measure’s sponsor has already signaled plans to re-file the resolution in the coming year. The proposal would raise the threshold from a simple majority to a 60% supermajority for any future state […]
Ohio Rep. Stewart gives amendment game away on extremist abortion bans and illegal gerrymandering
There’s an old saying that a journalist’s job is to always search for the truth, and a politician’s job is to never give the game away. Ashville Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart made every Ohio journalist’s job a little easier Wednesday after giving the game away regarding his attack on Ohio voters’ power to amend […]
Amid protest, Ohio GOP says bill to make it harder to amend constitution lacks votes to pass
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. A resolution to require a 60% supermajority vote in order for constitutional amendments […]
Ohioans fight resolution that makes it harder to amend Constitution
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. The resolution to make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution continues to […]
A point-by-point refutation of LaRose and Stewart’s arguments for attacking Ohio voters
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose seems to be big mad at being called out for attacking Ohio voters’ democratic power at the ballot box, after leading a proposal to raise the threshold for amendments from 50% to 60%. State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, has become the legislative sponsor for the scheme. Because their arguments […]
Ohio House sponsor defends raising threshold for ballot amendments in first hearing
Ohio Republican lawmakers are laying the groundwork to send a controversial amendment to voters next May. The proposal, which would raise the threshold for future constitutional amendments, got its first committee hearing Thursday. Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, stood alongside Secretary of State Frank LaRose less than two weeks ago to introduce the proposal. Since then, […]
In 1912, Ohio voters asserted their democratic authority. Now Ohio Republicans want to rip it away
Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Rep. Brian Stewart have launched a frontal assault on voters’ ability to amend our state constitution, putting their knives at the neck of 110 years of citizen-led democratic progress in the Buckeye State. Thinking that Ohioans are stupid and gullible enough to relinquish our democratic powers […]
More than 140 groups oppose effort to limit citizen changes to Ohio Constitution
More than 140 groups representing voters, teachers, the faith community, and good government on Tuesday had a message for Secretary of State Frank LaRose and GOP lawmakers: Any attempt to make it harder for voters to amend the state Constitution will be unpopular, expensive, and likely unsuccessful. Representatives of some of those groups gathered at […]