Hypocrisy thrives with Ohio Republicans, LaRose

(This opinion article represents the collective viewpoint of the Akron Beacon Journal’s Editorial Board, which includes two editors and four community members.)

Ohio Republicans love to talk about special interests as a shadowy force of out-of-state operatives hellbent on disrupting our state with liberal ideas.

Perhaps they're really describing themselves, albeit with a hyper-conservative agenda we believe most Ohioans oppose.

The only special interests we see are Statehouse Republicans trying to make the difficult process of citizens amending the state's constitution even harder. The move is a naked attempt to defy public opinion and defeat potential ballot issues allowing abortion and stopping gerrymandering even if 59% of voters support the issues. Gerrymandering, of course, fueled the GOP's legislative majorities despite Ohioans overwhelmingly passing redistricting reform.

Although Republicans outlawed most August special elections last year, some are now pushing for an August vote to require 60 percent of voters to approve constitutional changes. If successful, an expected November referendum on abortion rights that's already underway would face that higher bar for approval.

Controversy explained: How proposed changes to Ohio Constitution could impact abortion issue

Thankfully, so far, new Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens has the decency or common sense to see the folly of his colleagues' plan, meaning representatives may never vote on placing the issue before voters. The solidly conservative speaker has been a breath of fresh air in the Statehouse since his surprise January victory, pushing back against the far right at times.

"Let me be abundantly clear. I am and have always been 100% Pro-Life," Stephens tweeted last week. "I will stand for life at every turn; however, I am not for changing the rules willy nilly at a whim when it comes to changing our constitution."

Although Stephens has since said an August vote is a "possibility," we hope he understands political power comes with a responsibility to serve all Ohioans. It's not be an opportunity to scheme new ways to win culture war battles.

That brings us to the hypocrisy of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who originally pushed the constitutional change in late 2022.

Ohio's chief elections officer continues to align himself with fringe conservative ideas, including his recent move to pull Ohio out of a national organization dedicated to preventing voter fraud.

The Election Registration Information Center was founded by Republican and Democratic election officials to help states maintain accurate voter rolls by identifying voters who died, moved or had duplicate registrations. LaRose claims Ohio has other tools to verify address changes.

The concept of ERIC should be welcomed by conservatives concerned about election integrity, but conspiracy theorists have made unfounded claims about ERIC and criticized a requirement for participating states to contact unregistered voters.

In February, LaRose called ERIC "one of the best tools that we have for maintaining the accuracy of our voter files." By March 17, he pulled Ohio out ERIC.

LaRose also backed ending Ohio's August special elections when few people vote, but now favors an August vote on his proposal.

What changed, Mr. Secretary?

To burnish his conservative credentials for a possible 2024 U.S. Senate run, LaRose also chose to appear on a recent panel on elections called "They Stole It From Us Legally" during a conservative conference. He was also a table host for a dinner featuring Kari Lake, a vocal election denier who lost the race for Arizona governor in November.

Talk about special interests. Is this the company a secretary of state should be keeping as he seeks to maintain trust in Ohio's elections?

Finally, we're not advocating for or against the abortion proposal at this time. But we're convinced the only solution to one of the most divisive issues in our society is a fair election where majority rules. After all, conservatives wanted the U.S. Supreme Court to return the power to the states.

Let the people of Ohio decide.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hypocrisy rules in Ohio's GOP Statehouse