"Republicans bid to rewrite Ohio’s abortion rules" - The Guardian
‘It destroys democracy’: Republicans bid to rewrite Ohio’s abortion rules.Anti-abortion legislators are trying to change the state’s ballot initiative rules to require a supermajority for a ballot to pass.
Ohio law currently allows voters can amend the state constitution by a direct vote with a simple majority. If it passes this November, one such ballot initiative – brought forward by Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom – would codify the right to abortion in the Ohio constitution.
But Republicans in the Ohio house of representatives passed a proposal on 10 May that could make it much harder for that abortion rights measure to pass by requiring a supermajority vote for ballot measures. The proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR-2), is scheduled to come before voters in an August special election." - The Guardian
Confused? What other measures could Republican take to ram through their abortion ban? Follow along with this illustrated guide.
Republicans rig power and trample rights
"A disturbing GOP effort to further lock in their rigged power and trample rights takes another step forward. These rigged Ohio legislators know that a majority of Ohioans support abortion access. Polls make that crystal clear. They know that a referendum to enshrine the freedom to choose into Ohio’s Constitution would gain more than 50% of the vote, negating the abortion ban they passed. Such a referendum is now moving forward. Do these legislators respect Ohio’s majority will? Of course not! (That’s why they gerrymander in the first place).
Instead, they’re hard at work trying to change the Ohio Constitution in advance of that referendum to require a 60% vote by citizens for any future referenda to succeed.
They’re so desperate, they’re trying to ram their change through an August referendum after they themselves eliminated August elections earlier this year, claiming they were a waste of money and not democratic because so few people vote in August. But now that they NEED an undemocratic election to lock an undemocratic restriction into our state’s constitution, they’re eager to change Ohio law again to bring back August elections for their referendum. - David Pepper
In states like Ohio, where GOP-gerrymandered maps – deemed unconstitutional by the state’s highest court – have stymied attempts to pass progressive legislation, groups have used ballot initiatives to enact those laws instead. But only 24 states allow citizens to directly enact legislation or constitutional amendments, and Republican legislators have increasingly moved to restrict the ability to pass initiatives by a direct vote.
“It is going to affect all of democracy, not just abortion,” said Kayla Griffin, state director of the voting rights group All Voting Is Local. “It will be increasingly hard for the people’s voice to be heard in a state that does not listen to the voice of the people.” - The Guardian
TakeAway: Rigged legislatures like to do their dirty work when no one is watching. They’re hoping no one is paying attention. Pay attention.
Deepak
DemLabs
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