Conservatives rally in support of state Issue 1 in Marion County
Supporters of a measure that would make it more difficult to amend Ohio's constitution stumped for votes during separate rallies last week in Marion County.
Representatives of Ohio Right to Life and Protect Women Ohio joined with the Marion County Republican Party and Marion Citizens for Life to organize the "Vote Yes on Issue 1" events held Thursday in Marion and Waldo.
Ohio Issue 1, if approved by state voters during a special election scheduled for Aug. 8, would require "that any proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment." Ohio law currently requires just a simple majority vote (50.01%) to approve a constitutional amendment.
Additionally, the amendment would require "that any initiative petition filed on or after Jan. 1, 2024 with the Secretary of State proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio be signed by at least five percent of the eligible voters of each county in the state."
Ohio Right to Life president: Issue is about much more than abortion
Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, served as guest speaker for a gathering held Thursday morning at Republican Party headquarters in downtown Marion. While he is the head of Ohio's largest anti-abortion organization, Gonidakis said he believes Issue 1 is about much more than abortion, touching on a myriad of matters important to all state residents.
"Some people say, 'Isn't this just about the abortion issue?' For me and my wife, yes, it is. But for you, it might be about something else," Gonidakis said. "For you, maybe the life issue isn't No. 1. Maybe your top issue is your belief in law enforcement (possibly losing qualified immunity). Maybe you own a small business. Maybe you're a family farmer. Maybe your Second Amendment rights are the most important thing to you. If you have concerns about any of those issues, you vote yes on Issue 1."
Gonidakis said he believes the main reason to vote for Issue 1 is to protect the Ohio constitution from "outside interests" that would seek to impose their agendas on the state by "buying their way into our state constitution."
"They can't get what they want in the statehouse because we the people decide who our state reps are, who our state senators are, so they want to take a loophole and put things they want in the state constitution," Gonidakis added. "But we can stop it with a yes vote on Issue 1."
Prosecutor: Issue 1 would 'keep outside interests' from trying to 'change our consitution'
Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said, in his opinion, Issue 1 "is one of the most important issues that we face as a state."
"A lot of the reason I feel that way is because of how I feel personally about the issue," Grogan noted. "Issue 1, if it passes, will essentially keep outside interests from coming into our state and trying to change our constitution. For me personally, I will tell you, the number one organization that my wife and I contribute to each year is Voice of Hope, a crisis pregnancy center here locally.
"To me, how we treat - as a state, as a county, as a municipality - our most vulnerable citizens, including those who have not yet been born, is how we'll all be judged. I think it is that important that we pass Issue 1 to protect the unborn."
Rep. Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville; Protect Women Ohio representative Darlene Yost; and Ohio Right to Life development director Ray Duffy each spoke during the Marion Citizens for Life rally on Thursday evening in Waldo.
"When I took office as your state representative here in Marion County, I swore an oath that I would support and protect the Ohio constitution," Richardson said. "My friends, I don't see a better way to do that than to make it harder to change it. And that's precisely what Issue 1 does. ... Issue 1 simply says we're going to raise and elevate the standard by which we change the constitution to 60%. It's that simple.
"Why do we want to raise the standard? Because we're not dealing with policy matters. We're not dealing with routine law. That's for us at the Ohio legislature to do," she added. "The constitution is so important. It's our founding document. It guides us. It's not for routine policy. And it is not to be used by special interest groups to circumvent the state legislature to buy their way into the law."
Richardson emphasized her belief that "the founding document of our state should not be able to be easily changed."
Early voting now open
Early voting for the Aug. 8 special election is already underway. The Marion County Board of Elections voting center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from July 17-28. The voting center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on July 31 and from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 1.
The hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2-4. The voting center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 5 and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 6.
For information about elections in Marion County, go to the Board of Elections website www.boe.ohio.gov/marion.
For information about statewide elections, go to the Ohio Secretary of State website VoteOhio.gov.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Supporters put forth their arguments for Issue 1 passage in Marion County
