Vote No on August 8. A No Vote is a Vote for Democracy
Keep One Person, One Vote
On August 8, 2023, I will be asked for the second time in my life if I will vote “Yes” against democracy on Issue 1 and disenfranchise myself in the process. This second invitation from the Ohio General Assembly, is far more serious than my initial invitation.
Joint resolutions passed in both the Ohio House and Senate decided that the 111 year old provision for the exercise of direct democracy through citizen led initiatives had to go. Since 1912, if a citizen generated proposal garnered a sufficient number of signatures from 44 of Ohio's 88 counties, they could place a proposal to amend the state's Constitution on the ballot. If the proposal garnered a simple majority of the votes passed, it became part of the Constitution, without the need for approval by the legislature.
Ohio was one of only a few states east of the Mississippi to establish and maintain this tradition of one person, one vote. Now, Republican supermajorities in both the Ohio House and Senate are inviting us to abandon the principle of one person, one vote by raising the threshold for amending the state Constitution from a 50% +1 majority vote to a 60% vote. Moreover, instead of a requisite number of signatures from half of Ohio Counties, signatures from all 88 of Ohio's Counties would be required to get the initiative on the ballot.
The intended vehicle for disenfranchising ourselves is an August 8 Special Election, hastily brought back to life right after being legislated out of existence by the Ohio General Assembly as too expensive, and undemocratic, since less than 10% of eligible voters usually participated.
One might ask if there are good reasons for abandoning the Ohio’s tradition of direct citizen democracy? Is it too easy to amend the Ohio Constitution by collecting signatures for a ballot initiative? Has the state Constitution been cheapened by an influx of trivial amendments?
Actually, as it turns out it is difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution under the current form of citizen initiated ballot initiatives. There is little evidence that the 50% +1 margin for citizen-initiated ballot issues has been abused.
Mike Curtin, former Ohio legislator and Columbus Dispatch editor tracked citizen-initiated proposals to amend the state constitution over the last 15 years. Curtin found that 51 separate groups attempted to get a sufficient number of signatures to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. Only 6 succeeded. Three of the proposed amendments were adopted and three were defeated. Republican legislators supported two of the three that succeeded. “Three wins in 51 attempts for a batting average of 6%,” Curtin said.
So, my friends, for the sake of democracy and one person, one vote, please Vote “No” on August 8.