Ohio’s Republicans in the General Assembly on Wednesday approved a resolution 62-37 to put a proposed constitutional amendment to a vote in an August special election that would raise the threshhold for passage from 50% to 60% for future constitutional amendments.
Five Republican representatives joined Democrats in opposing the measure, which is now the subject of a lawsuit that argues the Ohio legislature can’t set an August election by resolution alone.
If it stands up to the challenge, however, there will be an election on August 8.
In order to cast a ballot on August 8, voters must register on or before July 10. Early voting will start the next day, July 11.
If passed, the proposed amendment on the ballot will make it harder to pass future amendments to the Ohio constitution, requiring 60% voter approval rather than the current requirement, a simple majority.
The amendment would also change the initiative petition process for future amendments by eliminating the ten-day cure period, a period to collect additional signatures after the initial deadline if the signature collection falls short of the required number.
Additionally, the proposed amendment would require petition signatures from at least 5% of electors from each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Currently, petition signatures are only required from 5% of electors from half of Ohio’s counties.
If the amendment succeeds, the new 60% threshold will go into effect immediately, impacting the November 7 general election which will feature abortion rights and could have cannabis legalization on the ballot.
The new initiative petition requirements, however, would only apply to those filed on or after January 1, 2024.
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This article appears in May 3-17, 2023.