Issue 1 is a ballot measure aimed at requiring 60% statewide approval to amend the state constitution, which would be an increase from the current requirement of 50%-plus-one. If passed, the measure would also require at least 5% of voters in each county to approve the ballot initiative before a constitutional amendment is put on a state ballot. That latter requirement, according to one political activist, balances the power and influence in urban areas by giving smaller, more rural counties a voice in important issues, too.
Campaigns on both sides of the issue have raised millions, both receiving dollars from out-of-state sources. However, recent disclosures show a vast majority raised by opponents came from outside Ohio with $2.5 million linked to a Swiss billionaire.
Linda Harvey, president of Columbus-based Mission: America, says Ohio is a test case for left-leaning groups that want to see their agendas codified and/or reflected in state constitutions.
"We know that the big pro-abortion and far-left progressives are trying to get their referenda passed in all the states where it's easiest to do that," she tells AFN. "So, you've got not only dark money, apparently from Europe; [but also] we have California and Washington, DC, bringing in megabucks. We have $2 million from the National Education Association; $1 million contributed from the Ohio Education Association. The ACLU is in here."
Ken Blackwell, former secretary of state for Ohio, is now senior fellow for human rights and constitutional governance at Family Research Council. He says opposition to Issue 1 is proof the Left is pushing its agenda in every sphere of society.
"They want to keep the status quo of being able to easily change the state constitution rather than having to build consensus or garner enough signatures from every county for their radical proposals," he says in a statement today.
Harvey, who supports Issue 1, says voters need to preserve the integrity of the Ohio Constitution.
"The vast majority of other states have way more difficult procedures for amending their constitutions," she points out. "[In] Ohio, it's been 50%-plus-one vote – [and] we're trying to raise that threshold to 60%. [That] doesn't take away anything for the threshold to be higher and for it to be more difficult to amend our constitution."
Blackwell offers this prediction. "If this one good amendment passes, it could have a lasting impact in undercutting the Left's plans to worm their way into other state constitutions with a range of bad policies: from expanding abortion on demand, to nullifying parental rights and enabling gender transitions for minors."
The ballot measure drove early voting off the charts last week, according to The Associated Press – so much so that some election offices were straining to manage the load and trying to recruit additional poll workers.
