State Issue 1 would raise the approval threshold to amend the Ohio Constitution to 60% of the vote instead of the current 50%-plus-one. It would also require 5% of the electors of every county – instead of the current requirement for half of Ohio's counties – to sign any initiative petition proposing to amend the state constitution.
Janet Porter, founder and president of Ohio-based Faith2Action, describes Issue 1 as "the most important ballot initiative in Ohio history."
"I've lived here my whole life, and I'll tell you what: I've never seen a more important vote than to come out by August 8, not just on August 8," she explains. "You can vote early because the polls are open to vote 'Yes' for life, for our children, [and] for our constitution."
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"Right now, it's far too easy for out-of-state special-interest groups to come into Ohio with unlimited funding and buy their way into the Constitution – and that's exactly what groups like the ACLU are doing." "There's actually only 18 states in the entire country that allow for these initiated constitutional amendments from outside groups …. Of those 18 states that allow for initiated amendments, half of them have a higher threshold than 50% – and that's from both Republican and Democratic states." Amy Natoce |
Issue 1 was introduced to counter efforts on behalf of a November ballot initiative that would remove all current pro-life laws enacted, including parental consent, and prohibit any legal restrictions on abortion, forcing abortion to be legal until birth. If Issue 1 passes on August 8, it would take effect immediately, likely defusing that pro-abortion effort.
Democrats and leftist groups are flooding the airwaves of Ohio with ads trying to convince voters in the red state to vote against Issue 1. Retired pastor Walter Moss says it's obvious the "other side" is mobilized.
"When you go to the neighborhood, you'll see 'Vote No' signs more than you'll see 'Vote Yes' signs, so we're getting signs out now," he tells AFN. "And the GOP said [they] need our base, but they've been slow in getting the base information that they need. So, we're putting together commercials for radio and TV."
Moss is among a coalition of 124 Ohio faith leaders who are encouraging their congregations to vote yes on Issue 1.
7/25/2023 - Sidebar added
