Aug 16, 2024 Story by: Editor
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After a two-hour meeting, the Ohio Ballot Board approved the language for Issue 1, the only statewide initiative on the ballot this November.
Issue 1 is a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at transferring redistricting authority from politicians to citizens. The last step before the ballot required the Ohio Ballot Board to finalize the language voters will see. Supporters proposed a five-bullet, one-page summary for the 31-page amendment.
“There is no way that those five bullets can identify the substance of a 13,000-word amendment,” said Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Instead, the Secretary of State’s office drafted a three-page summary, which was ultimately approved and will appear on ballots as written. LaRose defended the summary, saying, “My proposed language is not disingenuous, which would mean dishonest. It is what I genuinely believe to be our best effort to faithfully summarize, truthfully summarize, a very long amendment for the voters to consider.”
Representative Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) commented on the broader implications of the initiative, stating, “This is a last-ditch effort for those who have always had to cling to what they had. There’s going to be a big change coming in November. Like I said, a day of reckoning is forthcoming, and they know it.”
The language voters will encounter at the polls begins with: “The proposed constitutional amendment would repeal constitutional protections against gerrymandering.”
“We want to give them faithful and truthful ballot language so that they can make their best decision this November,” LaRose added.
The board modified a section of the text to state that the amendment would “establish a new taxpayer-funded commission of appointees required to gerrymander,” whereas the initial wording used the term “manipulate.”
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) criticized the finalized language, calling it “dishonest,” adding, “It is a lie, it is a fraud to voters.” Supporters of the amendment plan to take the issue to the Ohio Supreme Court for “immediate remedy,” intending to file their argument next week, which could result in changes to the language on the ballot.
“I would describe the language as a farce of Shakespearean proportion,” remarked Don McTigue, an attorney for Citizens Not Politicians.
On Monday, arguments from both sides will be submitted and made available online for voters to review before heading to the polls. Source: Yahoo News
