CINCINNATI — It's time for the Aug. 8 special election, and campaigns for and against Issue 1 are making their final appeal to voters. Polls are open until 7:30 p.m. Anyone in line at that time will be allowed to vote. Issue 1 is the only thing on the ballot.
Issue 1 would make three changes:
- Any proposed constitutional amendment would require 60% of the vote to pass, rather than the 50%-plus-one votes currently required;
- Any petition for a constitutional amendment filed on or after January 1, 2024, would need signatures from 5% of the voters from the last gubernatorial election in each Ohio county, rather than the current requirement of signatures from half of the state's counties and;
- The 10-day period that allows invalid signatures to be replaced with new ones on citizen-led ballot initiatives for constitutional amendments would be eliminated.
RELATED | Explaining Ohio Issue 1: What it would change, how it would impact residents
"If this happens almost any of your rights are vulnerable, it's really not safeguarding rights," said Brian Griffin, the executive secretary-treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO.
The Ohio chapter is advocating against Issue 1.
"Straight up, it's a power grab," Griffin said.
The chairman of the Clermont County Republican Party disagrees.
"Well then the US constitution, which actually requires 67% passage and 3/4 of the states to approve, was that a power grab?" He said. "It's about protecting the constitution."
These are just two groups that have stated a position on this issue.
Protect Our Constitution is the main group campaigning for Issue 1 and lists several groups on its website, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Restaurant Association and Ohio Right to Life.
One Person, One Vote, the group campaigning against Issue 1 shows a longer list of endorsements on its website, including The League of Women Voters of Ohio, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and the Ohio Education Association.
While abortion is not mentioned in the ballot language for Issue 1, you may have seen ads that mention it and other issues.
This is because a ballot measure related to abortion and other reproductive rights is set to be decided during the next election in November. And if Issue 1 passes, that ballot measure would need 60% of the vote to pass.
You can read the initiative petition here.
