Cleveland Plain Dealer: The Statehouse Con on Selling Issue 1 in the Aug. 8 Election, Exposed
The independent press throughout the state continues to rail against the political power play to take away Ohioans’ right to direct democracy and simple majority rule which is now state Issue 1. Clevleand.com is one of many news outlets opposing Issue 1 and exposing the extremists and special interests behind it and had this to say recently:
There are many, many things wrong with how the GOP supermajority in the Ohio legislature is trying to ram through a hugely consequential constitutional amendment during a likely low-turnout August vote — an election costing $20 million to hold.
Our editorial board has already noted three strikes against what’s now titled Issue 1 on the Aug. 8 ballot: It upends more than a century of precedent on when to hold votes on major constitutional amendments; the ballot language is misleading and inaccurate; and the legality of the Aug. 8 election itself is questionable, at best.
Now, add a deceptive marketing campaign for Issue 1, as outlined at a recent high-level GOP lobbying meeting, details of which cleveland.com reporter Andrew J. Tobias confirmed with two participants.
What happened at the closed-door May 31 meeting at the Columbus Athletic Club, attended by about 50 high-rolling lobbyists and called by Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, reveals a strategy of misdirection, not truth.
It’s a useful reminder of what citizens are being asked to give up through Issue 1 – the rights they’ve had since 1912 to use citizen-initiated amendments that need only get a majority of voters’ support to rein in Statehouse corruption and pay-to-play.
Which is also why backers of Issue 1 in the May 31 meeting reportedly urged proponents not to lean in on the 60% voting threshold the issue would require.