Ohio Secretary of State: The Left Is Spreading ‘Outright Lies’ About State Issue 1

Ohio Secretary of State and undeclared candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024, Frank LaRose, told The Ohio Star that Ohioans need to know about two lies the Left is spreading about State Issue 1 before going to the polls.

“People need to know about the outright lies the Left is saying about Issue 1,” LaRose told The Star.

Issue 1, if approved by voters, would mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.

Voters will decide whether to approve State Issue 1 during a statewide special election on August 8th.

The ballot question comes when pro-abortion activists are working to pass a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would legalize abortion throughout the state.

A second proposed amendment that would eventually raise the state’s minimum wage will likely appear on a 2024 ballot.

According to LaRose, the opponents of Issue 1 have told a lot of lies but one of the most pernicious is that the issue is exclusively about blocking the November abortion initiative.

LaRose told The Star that the Left has taken a clip of him talking about State Issue 1, where it claims that he said Issue 1 is “100 percent about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution” and has “taken it entirely out of context.”

“That’s just one of the many things we want to keep out of the state constitution. Also the $15 minimum wage. I’ve been very clear all along it’s about protecting our Constitution. Just one of the many bad ideas happens to be this really radical pro-abortion amendment,” LaRose said.

LaRose said that the other lie that the Left is spreading is that a “Yes” on Issue 1 takes away the right of Ohioans to change the law.

“Even after Issue 1 passes it can be changed through a simple majority-initiated statute if you want to repeal a law. 50 percent plus one can still do that. There are still plenty of ways to amend the law. You can also work with the duly elected general assembly,” LaRose told The Star.

According to LaRose, even the Democratic Party and the Democratic League of Women Voters agree on a 60 percent amendment threshold.

The Ohio Democrats have said they are adamantly against State Issue 1, although their party constitution also uses a 60 percent amendment threshold. The Democratic League of Women Voters exceed that by requiring a 66 percent vote for amendments to their organization’s bylaws.

“If you cannot get a 60 percent in support you should not be able to amend the state Constitution. Both the League of Women voters and the Democratic Party agree that you shouldn’t change your founding document without a 60 percent vote. There are a lot of lies being told. We believe in majority rule and this doesn’t harm anyone, ” LaRose told The Star.

LaRose has been a vocal proponent of Ohio State Issue 1 since its introduction. He endorsed the legislation early on in the legislative process last November.

“The Ohio Constitution is supposed to serve as a framework of our state government, not as a tool for special interests. Requiring a broad consensus majority of at least 60 percent for passing a petition-based constitutional amendment provides a good government solution to promote compromise and to have a historically proven record of passage,” LaRose said.

Both early in-person voting and absentee voting for Ohio State Issue 1 begin on July 11th. The special election is on August 8th.

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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Frank LaRose” by Frank LaRose. Background Photo “Ohio Statehouse” by Sixflashphoto. CC BY-SA 4.0.