SJR 2
Ohio Ballot Board approves language for August amendment proposal despite objections
The Ohio Ballot Board has approved language for an August ballot measure from Ohio Republican lawmakers. The proposal asks voters whether to make it harder to pass future constitutional amendments by requiring 60% of the vote. The board’s two Democrats and an outside organization currently suing to block the August election criticized the ballot language […]
Ohio Republicans choose to fight abortion amendment the hard way
Earlier this month the Ohio Republican Party central committee met in a downtown Columbus ballroom. The state party has a lot to celebrate. Republicans across the country underwhelmed in 2022, but not in Ohio. The GOP carried the big-ticket statewide races, won every state supreme court race and two ballot measures. But the prevailing mood […]
Supermajority amendment opponents sue, arguing ‘no legal basis’ for August election
State lawmakers approved a measure to ask voters if Ohio should raise the threshold for approving constitutional amendments to 60%. But in an unusual move, they set the August date for that election through the resolution itself. They made no changes to state law which strictly limit such elections. Republican House and Senate leaders insist […]
Upcoming August special election is illegal, law experts say
After the major decision to reinstate August special elections in an attempt to thwart a possible abortion ballot, leading constitutional law experts have weighed in that the resolution is illegal. State lawmakers in the House and Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 on Wednesday evening to put a measure on a special election ballot […]
Group files lawsuit against Ohio special election in August
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A lawsuit has been filed challenging the state’s legally questionable August election meant to stop abortion from becoming legal. One Person One Vote, a nonpartisan coalition, announced it filed a lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court challenging the controversial election. Dennis Willard, spokesperson for One Person One Vote, said, “Our complaint asks the Ohio Supreme Court […]
Ohio lawmakers send 60% supermajority amendment to the ballot
Wednesday, Ohio House lawmakers voted 62-37 to advance a resolution asking voters to raise the passage threshold for constitutional amendments. The vote caps off nearly six months of legislative wrangling largely meant to hobble an abortion rights amendment. Lawmakers are entering questionable legal territory, however, as they set the vote in August through the resolution […]
Gerrymandered Ohio GOP lawmakers launch tyrannical assault on 170 years of majority voter authority
The unconstitutionally gerrymandered extremist Republican supermajority in the Ohio House on Wednesday voted to be the first legislature in Ohio history to try to roll back the constitutional power of Ohio voters. Dripping with deceit and condescension, they say they want to hurt voters’ ability to pass constitutional amendments in order to protect the Ohio […]
House leaders tee up supermajority amendment measure for floor vote
The stage is set for a long-awaited House vote on SJR 2. The resolution would ask voters whether the threshold for amending the constitution should be 60% rather than a simple majority. But lawmakers pushing the plan may not be celebrating yet. A parallel effort to send the question to voters before they consider an […]
Supermajority roadmap: Backers have until Wednesday to get 60% amendment on August ballot
It’s a big week for lawmakers attempting to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments in an August special election. The House could vote on a joint resolution sending the question to the ballot as soon as Wednesday. But the legislation setting up the August election is in limbo. Lawmakers in the House and the Senate […]
Ohio Republican Party committee votes to support amendment change, oppose abortion rights
The Ohio Republican Party central committee gathered in a downtown Columbus ballroom Friday morning. Ahead of the pledge of the allegiance, one committee member urged her fellows not to pause before “under god.” The members dutifully took her advice; some even ad-libbed “born and unborn” at the end. Party chairman Alex Triantafilou joked “we take […]
Taft among former Ohio governors who say Ohioans should get to decide on abortion
Former Ohio governors are speaking out against the proposal to make it more difficult to amend the state constitution and the bill to allow for an August special election, telling the current GOP that voters should decide if abortion should be legal. Gov. Mike DeWine’s team responded, saying the governor did not ask for the […]
GOP plan to advance 60% amendment in August looking wobbly after second hearing cancelled
Hints of uncertainty are creeping into the Ohio House ahead of an effort toward a constitutional showdown. For the second time in as many days, the House Government Oversight committee canceled its hearing instead of voting on an August special elections measure. That legislation is crucial to a Republican ballot effort asking voters to make […]