LWV urges 'No' vote on Issue 1

The League of Women Voters of Ohio, working with other non-profit groups, urges voters to vote No on Issue 1, a constitutional amendment proposed by the Ohio General Assembly that tightens the requirements for passage of citizen-led constitutional amendments.   

The legislature-proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution (Issue 1) on the ballot for the Aug. 8, 2023, special election seeks to change an amendment process that has worked well for 112 years in Ohio.

A firm belief in government for the people and by the people is why the League of Women Voters supports reasonable, manageable procedures for citizen-led petitioners who desire to see changes made to Ohio’s Constitution, but not these Issue 1 provisions. 

This proposed amendment would not ensure that “special interests” will be eliminated even as it prescribes higher proportions of voter approval for amendments. This proposed amendment would allow voters in just one county to override the preferences of voters in all the other 87 counties. This proposed amendment would eliminate the time-honored principle of “majority rule” (50% of those voting plus 1). This proposed amendment would also end the important verification step in which citizen petitioners have a short period of time after submission to rectify rejected signatures.

Please request an absentee ballot right away, then vote that ballot and return it to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections before Aug. 7. Or plan to go downtown to vote early at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. Or, on Aug. 8, vote in person at your local polling place. (Check your polling location in advance as it may have changed since the last time you voted.) And, if you are available, sign up to be a poll worker as they are in short supply for this summer special election. 

– Kathy Woolner and Nadia Zaiem

Co-chairs, Westlake/North Olmsted Chapter, League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland