Mayor Ginther, central Ohio Dems rallying to urge voter rejection of Issue 1 on Aug. 8

Cole Behrens, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
20
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and various Democrats from the Ohio General Assembly and Franklin County are holding a rally Saturday to urge the public to vote against Issue 1 in the Aug. 8 special election, which would require a 60% majority for state constitutional amendments instead of the current simple majority (50% plus one). Ginther is seen here May 18 during a press conference in the Short North to address the recent shootings there.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and other central Ohio Democrats will be holding a rally Saturday calling on Ohioans to vote against the Issue 1 ballot initiative, which would require a 60% majority to amend the state Constitution instead of the current simple majority of 50% plus one.

The rally will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Columbus Park of Roses shelter house at 3901 N. High St.

Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, Ohio Sen. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, Columbus City Council members and members of the Franklin County Democratic Party will also be in attendance at the rally, according to a news release.

Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo leads a chant May 10 on the Ohio House floor with fellow Democrat representatives chanting “one person one vote” inside the Statehouse following a vote on whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60% for constitutional amendments.
Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo leads a chant May 10 on the Ohio House floor with fellow Democrat representatives chanting “one person one vote” inside the Statehouse following a vote on whether to create an August special election for a resolution that would increase the voter threshold to 60% for constitutional amendments.

Issue 1 will be decided in an Aug. 8 special election, with voters choosing whether it should take 60% of voters to enact new constitutional amendments, instead of the current 50% plus one.

Opponents of the issue say it will directly impact voters when it comes to issues such as abortion access, raising the minimum wage, funding schools and demanding fairness in redistricting.

Ginther has said he is opposed to Issue 1 because it will possibly impact an anticipated November ballot initiative to override Republican-enactged law banning abortions. The current Ohio law prohibits doctors from performing abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which is about six weeks into pregnancy. That law, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, is currently on hold by a court order.

Advocates for abortion access want to enshrine protections in the Ohio Constitution. The proposed constitutional amendment would state that "every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion."

Ohio secretary of state: August special election '100%' about abortion

Proponents of Issue 1, including Republicans like Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Ohio House Rep. Brian Stewart, of Ashville, say that the ballot initiative would make it more challenging for out-of-state special interest groups to interfere in the Ohio Constitution. LaRose and Stewart have also acknowledged that the ballot initiative is about the abortion issue.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Local Dems, Ginther to rally against Issue 1 in Aug. 8 special election