Groups to defend citizens' power to amend Ohio constitution
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Foes of a proposal that would make it harder for citizens to amend Ohio's constitution vowed Tuesday to unleash the same broad activist coalition against it that delivered a scorching rebuke to a Republican-backed anti-union law last decade.
Opponents including the union-backed group We Are Ohio held a Statehouse news conference on Tuesday and criticized what Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has dubbed the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment as hypocritical, disturbing and “a slap in the face” to the people.
The Ohio Council of Churches, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of Ohio, Innovation Ohio and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative also were represented.
The joint resolution containing the proposal, sponsored by GOP state Rep. Brian Stewart, is scheduled for its first hearing Thursday.
It would place a constitutional amendment on 2023 ballots calling for requiring a 60% supermajority of voters to approve citizen-initiated amendments in the future. The same standard would not be applied to amendments advanced by the state Legislature, where the required supermajorities needed to make the ballot are controlled in both chambers by Republicans.
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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/groups-defend-citizens-power-amend-ohio-constitution-94166776
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As far as state reps,
“No person shall hold the office of State Senator for a period of longer than two successive terms of four years. No person shall hold the office of State Representative for a period longer than four successive terms of two years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years.”
Really, when our state is so heavily gerrymandered, what difference does it make.
Ohio needs to
1. Draw fairer maps. This was a ballot initiative that was sabotaged by the Rs and looks like it will just disintegrate into dust with the super majority of Rs on the state Supreme Court next year.
2. Bury this bill that requires 60% majority to change the state constitution. Ohio’s Rs know that an abortion referendum might be a Yes between 50-60 % and you can bet this is where this is coming from.
However, the loophole is that you only have to break up your terms so that they are not successive. You just rotate your elected official between two rethugs and voila! I mean you serve one term of like eight years and that is it for that level. You may run for something higher or something lower, but you cannot be a (let's say) State Senator again. We have basically created a new nobility class with the concept of a 'career politician' and we need to remove that idea now.
And, yes, that is exactly where this is coming from. They dare not allow the people to decide something! 