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Ohio SOS Wants To Increase Threshold For Citizen-Led Constitutional Amendments To Pass

November 18, 2022November 18, 2022

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to change the rules for passing ballot issues that amend the Ohio Constitution.

The Republican says such issues should have to receive 60 percent of the vote to be enacted instead of a simple majority.

The resolution LaRose is proposing would only apply to citizen-led constitutional amendments and not constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the Ohio Legislature, which would still only need a simple majority to pass.

LaRose says the change would safeguard the Ohio Constitution from special interests while opponents say it’s a power grab and a way to weaken the voices of Ohioans who disagree with the majority party.

The resolution would need to be approved by the Ohio Legislature by the end of this year to be placed on the ballot for the May primary.

Constitutions are meant to serve as a framework for state government, but instead our state constitution has become a tool used by special interests to permanently change our form of government to their liking.
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) November 17, 2022

🚨This is a true-to-form, classical example of Republican elected officials putting their finger on the scale to silence Ohioans. This is an all-out attack on our democratic process.

The motivation behind this power-grab is incredibly obvious. 🧵https://t.co/spL2zyCOBg
— ACLU of Ohio (@acluohio) November 17, 2022