Breaking: Ohio General Assembly Passes Anti-Democratic Supermajority Requirement for Ballot Measures
Ohio illustrates growing red-state trend of attacking direct democracy to undermine voter-led progress at the ballot box.
Associated Press: Ohio constitution overhaul faces deadline, backlash
The Ohio back-and-forth comes amid similar Republican efforts to restrict direct democracy in Missouri, North Dakota and Mississippi, according to Fairness Project, a Washington-based group that pushes ballot measures across the U.S.
Rolling Stone: Missouri AG Claims Legalizing Abortion Could Cost the State…$51 Billion
Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a group working on ballot measures around the country sees Missouri as a microcosm of a larger anti-democratic dynamic manifesting across the country. “Politicians are going well beyond their legal obligations in their roles, their legal responsibilities to faithfully execute their offices.
Red State Legislators Advance Attacks on the Initiative Process in Retaliation to Voter-Led Progress at the Ballot
Republican legislators in several states could pass new attacks on the ballot initiative process as soon as next week, including Ohio and Missouri.
Bloomberg Law: Abortion Rights Effort Spurs Bid to Change Ohio Constitution
“This is not isolated to Ohio,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the progressive ballot measure group The Fairness Project.
New York Times Highlights New GOP Playbook to Attack Abortion-Related Ballot Measures
This week, the New York Times covered recent efforts by conservative politicians to crack down on citizen-initiated ballot measures in order to block pro-choice legislation from being passed directly by voters.
The New York Times: Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot
“There are a lot of elected officials leading state legislatures that are being unapologetic, brazen, relentless — choose your adjective — about the fact that they don’t care what voters think on this issue and that their ideological stance on this is going to dictate the outcome,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project.
In Latest Power Grab, Ohio Senate Advances Anti-Democratic Supermajority Requirement for Ballot Measures
In the latest attack on direct democracy, Ohio legislators on Wednesday voted to advance a supermajority threshold for future ballot measures, co-opting a tactic being pushed by extremist officials in multiple states to limit voters’ decision-making power.