This article was originally posted by WTRF.com.
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – We are just weeks away from a special August election that could change the way policies are decided in the state of Ohio.
Jen Miller, Executive Director for League of Women Voters in Ohio, said, “This is a major issue and we’re really worried that a lot of Ohioans don’t know that there’s an election or they do, and they think there’s just one issue. So, they could sit it out.”
A local coalition in Belmont County has come together to vote against the highly anticipated Issue One. They say if the issue were to pass it would take away the majority rule for voting on various policies in the state. Instead, a 60% threshold would need to be met to pass any policies. The coalition says this issue will affect many labor unions, and they believe it will affect every Ohioans right that they have earned.
John Saunders of the Steel Workers Union of Eastern Ohio says, “It’s not just a labor issue. It’s an issue that is about a majority rules this has. Labor falls into that guidelines of it, but it’s about what people have fought wars for and those things in the past to have a simple majority. We’re asking people to protect that simple majority.”
The coalition claims If the issue passed it would completely change what voting will look like in the future in the state of Ohio.
David Dilly, UMWA Coordinator, added, “It’s eliminating that two-party system, our two-party system is a system that has worked. So, it’s frustrating to us to see that why they want to change it. And what’s the motive behind it.”
Jen Miller from the League of Women Voters of Ohio says there are also a few provisions within the issue that would make it extremely difficult for the state to pass policies.
“If we go to the 60% threshold, that means a very small minority could block what everyday Ohioans want. There’s also a signature provision in there that would require signatures from 88 counties. That would mean that one county could block an initiative that all other 87 counties want. This is fundamentally anti-democratic,” Miller said.
On the other hand, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is for Issue One, is encouraging voters to vote yes. LaRose says he believes in the issue and that he has the personal right to encourage a yes vote. The President of Ohio Right to Life, Mike Gonidakis also says if we want to protect our values, we must protect our constitution and vote yes on Issue One.
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