Portage County Democratic Party Statement on Passage of GOP led Legislation to Effectively End Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives
Ravenna, OH | Portage County Democratic Party Vice Chair Christopher Clevenger issued the following statement after Republicans in Columbus passed a dangerous bill aimed at silencing the voices of Ohio Voters:
Today, Republicans in the Ohio House, and our own Representative Gail Pavliga, turned their backs on Ohio Voters in favor of special interests and out-of-state billionaires. And while thousands of Ohioans from both sides of the aisle rose to oppose this dangerous legislation, Representative Pavliga chose to put her own party over the people.
House Joint Resolution 1 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 are direct attacks on our Democracy. These pieces of legislation would dramatically change the citizen-led ballot initiative process, weakening the power of Ohio voters’ at the polls, increasing the threshold for citizen-led initiatives to become law from 50%+1 to a supermajority of 60%.
This legislation will create an August Special Election - an election that Republicans in the House rallied to eliminate less than a year ago - to decide whether or not Ohioans will have the right to make changes to the very Constitution that governs them. All because the Ohio Republican Party fears the proposed ballot initiative to protect a person's right to make their own fundamental healthcare decisions.
And when Ohioans gathered at the State House to voice their concerns and exercise their First Amendment Rights, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens shamefully cut the live feed, and forcibly removed peaceful protesters from what should always be the halls of Democracy for our state.
Special interests groups from outside of our state lobbied to create this Special Election on August 8th, only to permanently rig Ohio’s constitution in their favor. This would end majority rule as we know it, and create an unnecessary Special Election that will cost Ohio’s taxpayers at least $20 Million. Simply put, it’s a Special Election for Special Interests.
The Portage County Democratic Party will join the Ohio Democratic Party and our partners across the state to fight this Republican power grab, and to protect Ohioans’ fundamental right of One Person, One Vote.
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Ravenna, OH | Portage County Democratic Party Vice Chair Christopher Clevenger issued the following statement after Republicans in Columbus passed a dangerous bill aimed at silencing the voices of Ohio Voters:
Today, Republicans in the Ohio House, and our own Representative Gail Pavliga, turned their backs on Ohio Voters in favor of special interests and out-of-state billionaires. And while thousands of Ohioans from both sides of the aisle rose to oppose this dangerous legislation, Representative Pavliga chose to put her own party over the people.
House Joint Resolution 1 and Senate Joint Resolution 2 are direct attacks on our Democracy. These pieces of legislation would dramatically change the citizen-led ballot initiative process, weakening the power of Ohio voters’ at the polls, increasing the threshold for citizen-led initiatives to become law from 50%+1 to a supermajority of 60%.
This legislation will create an August Special Election - an election that Republicans in the House rallied to eliminate less than a year ago - to decide whether or not Ohioans will have the right to make changes to the very Constitution that governs them. All because the Ohio Republican Party fears the proposed ballot initiative to protect a person's right to make their own fundamental healthcare decisions.
And when Ohioans gathered at the State House to voice their concerns and exercise their First Amendment Rights, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens shamefully cut the live feed, and forcibly removed peaceful protesters from what should always be the halls of Democracy for our state.
Special interests groups from outside of our state lobbied to create this Special Election on August 8th, only to permanently rig Ohio’s constitution in their favor. This would end majority rule as we know it, and create an unnecessary Special Election that will cost Ohio’s taxpayers at least $20 Million. Simply put, it’s a Special Election for Special Interests.
The Portage County Democratic Party will join the Ohio Democratic Party and our partners across the state to fight this Republican power grab, and to protect Ohioans’ fundamental right of One Person, One Vote.
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