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Supporters and opponents of a state constitutional amendment that would raise the threshold for passing future amendments both say their side is looking out for Ohio citizens.
"Issue 1 has been designed to give more power to politicians and to dilute the power of your vote, the people's vote," said Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, who spoke at a Tuesday debate in Columbus in opposition to the issue on a special Aug. 8 statewide election.
But Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican who supports Issue 1, said: "The other side doesn't trust the voters and they want to try to ram through a radical agenda with a bar majority of 51 or 52 percent."
The Issue 1 debate aired Tuesday on Nexstar television stations throughout Ohio, including WKBN in Youngstown.
If Issue 1 is approved, future constitutional amendment proposals would need 60 percent support to pass rather than the current simple majority. That includes an abortion rights constitutional amendment that was certified Tuesday to the Nov. 7 ballot.
Also, if Issue 1 is passed, effective Jan. 1, 2024, proposed constitutional amendments would need at least 5 percent of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election from all of the state's 88 counties to qualify for the ballot rather than the current 44-county minimum.
Issue 1 is the only item on the Aug. 8 special election ballot and needs a simple majority to pass. Early voting turnout for the election has been strong statewide.
"If you've got 51 or 52 percent that like your idea, change the law, work with the Legislature, do an initiated statute," LaRose said. "If you can't get a broad bipartisan consensus majority, then leave our constitution alone."
Russo said: "The bedrock of Ohio's constitution has always been trust the people and for more than 111 years Ohio's right to citizen-led constitutional amendments has been a promise that when the government is unresponsive or corrupt, the people have the final check on our government with the simple majority. Politicians in power are now attempting to block and change this promise with Issue 1."
Joining LaRose arguing in favor of Issue 1 during Tuesday's debate was Mike Gonidakis, Ohio Right to Life president and a fellow Republican. In addition to Russo, Mike Curtin, a former Democratic Ohio House member and ex-editor of The Columbus Dispatch, spoke against Issue 1.
Asked about Richard Uihlein, an Illinois billionaire who bankrolled the effort to get Republican legislators to put Issue 1 on a special August ballot, Gonidakis said: "If we want to stop outside special interests, whether it be an Illinois billionaire or a liberal California billionaire, a liberal New York City billionaire, you vote yes on Issue 1 on Aug. 8. By protecting our constitution, we can stop all the fringe elements whether they be in California, New York, Illinois, wherever you want, conservative, liberal. We are Buckeyes. We determine what should be or not be in our constitution and that's why we can take the 'for sale' sign off our state constitution by voting yes on Issue 1."
Curtin said Gonidakis is a powerful Statehouse lobbyist who persuaded the General Assembly to propose "a tremendous watering down, a reduction, of a fundamental constitutional right that Ohioans have had for 111 years and have used responsibly."
Curtin also said Republicans voted in December to eliminate August special elections and they turned around and put this amendment on such a ballot.
Early in-person voting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today to Friday.
It is 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 1, and 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2 to 4.
Early voting on Aug. 5, the Saturday before the primary, is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 6, the Sunday before the primary.
The polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8.
dskolnick@vindy.com