Canton-area League of Women Voters' Voting Guide spiked with anti-Issue 1 material
The League of Women Voters of the Canton Area says someone is tampering with a voting guide published by the group.
Carol Canavan, co-president, said anti-Issue 1 inserts have been found inside their voter guides, which are available at public libraries, churches and other public locations.
The inserts were discovered inside guides on display at the Plain Community Branch of the Stark County District Library earlier this week, Canavan said.
"It's unfortunate that they're trying to piggyback on our material, which is quite disturbing," she said. "We are most concerned that people might think that this was part of our guide, which is not the case."
More: Abortion advocates rally at Ohio Statehouse for Issue 1 before polls open for early voting
The League of Women Voters is a national, nonpartisan organization that publishes free voters' guides to help the public better understand issues on the ballot.
It has not taken any position on Issue 1.
"As a public library, we support the democratic process by distributing non-partisan voter information from the League of Women Voters," said Stephanie Cargill, communications director of the Stark County District Library. "When we realized that partisan information had been inserted into the 2023 Voters Guide at one location, we asked all our managers to look for and remove any partisan information. As far as we know, this was an isolated situation."
If approved, Issue 1, or "The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety Act," would amend the state's constitution by protecting individuals and their doctors in making decisions regarding abortion, pregnancy, miscarriage care, fertility treatment and contraception, and would prohibit the state from interfering with those decisions. Although an abortion may still be prohibited based on fetal viability, it also would guarantee a patient and her doctor the right to determine whether the procedure is necessary beyond Ohio's current standard of 22 to 24 weeks if the life of that patient is at risk.
Opponents of Issue 1 argue it promotes abortion. If it fails, laws around abortion and other reproductive health care would continue to be made by state government, according to the League of Women Voters.
The insert charges that if the Issue 1 is passed, abortion will be legal up to 40 weeks. It also accuses some local candidates of supporting "the slaughter of innocent children."
Telephone numbers found on the inserts indicate that they are connected to Naphtali Ministries Services which has affiliates in 19 states. However, the phone numbers are not in service.
Ohio Issue 1 misinformation
Canavan said the organization learned about the inserts after a friend of a group member found one at the library and informed staff librarians, who promptly removed them.
"I think it's unfortunate because there's already so much disinformation out there," she said. "People are totally confused about Issue 1, since that was the name of the measure in August."
The Issue 1 vote in August proposed making it more difficult to amend the state's constitution by requiring a minimum vote of 60% instead of a simple majority. It was soundly defeated by voters.
"This flyer reveals the fervor Issue 1 has unleashed," said Connie Rubin, former president of Planned Parenthood of Stark County. "Fortunately in the U.S., our First Amendment rights include freedom of religion."
Though there have been local incidents of sign-stealing and vandalism of Issue 1 signs, Canavan said, this marks the first such incident that she knows of in which their guides have been disturbed.
"Stealing and defacing campaign signs shows desperation by opponents," Rubin said. "The authors' unwillingness to identify themselves, as legitimate organizations and candidates are required to do, is cowardly."
The Voters Guide is available for download from the Canton League of Women Voters website at cantonlwv.org.
The Stark County District Library also has free voter information and resources at https://www.starklibrary.org/voter-information/.
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: League of Women Voters' Voting Guide spiked with anti-Issue 1 material
