(The Center Square) – A proposed amendment that would make it more difficult for Ohio citizens to change the state constitution faces a May 10 deadline, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
LaRose sent House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) a letter in April detailing why he supports a special election for this issue and next Wednesday's deadline to meet legal requirements and allow counties to prepare for an Aug. 8 special election.
“If the General Assembly wishes to proceed with an August election, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August is the latest that a statewide election can be held without statutorily altering the election calendar for the upcoming November election,” LaRose wrote.
The House plans to be in session before May 10, and leadership has not published an agenda.
The Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2) last month, but the House was slowed by GOP controversy that included an attempt to bypass the committee process and removal of the committee chairman.
It passed the committee Tuesday on a 7-6 vote, with seven of its eight Republicans voting to move it to the entire House. Rep. Brett Hudson Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) was the only Republican to vote with the committee’s Democrats.
House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said the proposed amendment would shred the state constitution and introduce economic chaos.
“SJR 2 is a blatant attempt by extremist Republicans and billionaire-funded special interest groups to rewrite the rules and take away the freedoms of Ohioans who disagree with them,” Russo said in a statement. “Ohio leaders should not advance this undemocratic, unpopular and unfair proposal any further. They will face the backlash from Ohioans who have clearly told us they do not want this. Together, we will continue to fight for the will of the voters to be heard and to put people first.”
As previously reported by The Center Square, the proposed amendment would require 60% approval from voters on a citizen-drive constitutional amendment on a statewide ballot. However, the proposal would only need to pass by a majority of voters to change the law.
The move comes when three citizen-driven proposed amendments are working their way through the process to reach the ballot.
One would constitutionally protect the right to an abortion in the state, while another would raise the minimum wage and the third would remove immunity from civil lawsuits for government officials.
During last year’s session, with LaRose’s support, Republicans passed and Gov. Mike DeWine signed it into law, ending special elections across the state. LaRose, in his letter, said the change to how the constitution can be amended is different than previous special elections.
“I opposed these one-off elections largely because they’re rarely ‘special’ or urgent, and they often resulted in historically low turnout, often serving as a vehicle for local governments and school districts to sneak tax increases onto the ballot while fewer voters are looking,” LaRose wrote. “A statewide election to consider a constitutional amendment proposed by the General Assembly is a unique exception. I have no doubt that, given the nature of what’s at stake, such an election would draw significant, if not record, turnout.”
