A ballot initiative that would have made it more difficult for Ohioans to amend the state's constitution was rejected by voters in a special election on August 8. The measure, Issue 1, failed to pass by a vote of 57% to 43%.
Supporters of Issue 1 argued that it would have helped to keep Ohio a more stable business environment and protected agriculture from special interest groups. They also said that it would have allowed rural communities to be more involved in policymaking.
Opponents of Issue 1 called it undemocratic and said that it would have made it extremely difficult for citizens to even bring constitutional issues to the ballot. They also argued that it would have been used to block environmental protection.
The failure of Issue 1 means that passing constitutional amendments will continue to take only a simple majority, rather than a 60% supermajority, as Issue 1 proposed. It also means that people aiming to bring an issue to the ballot only need to get signatures from 44 counties, rather than all 88 of Ohio's counties.
The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, one of the groups that supported Issue 1, said that they will continue to work with farmers, legislators, and the public to protect Ohio agriculture from outside interests.
The Ohio Environmental Council, one of the groups that opposed Issue 1, said that they are proud to stand with the majority of Ohioans who voted no on the measure.
The outcome of the election is a victory for those who believe in the power of direct democracy and the right of all Ohioans to have their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-dmytro-diedov
Categories: Ohio, Government & Policy