We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The current process for citizen-led ballot initiatives in Ohio is broken. It creates a "gatekeeper" system that allows the state to silence voices before they are ever heard.
Recently, we’ve seen yet another example of the Attorney General’s office using its power to block a proposed constitutional amendment by claiming the summary wasn't "fair and truthful."
Why does this matter to us? Because our committee, Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights, is currently fighting this exact issue in federal court. We believe the "fair and truthful" requirement is an unconstitutional barrier that violates the First Amendment. It doesn't matter what the political topic of a petition is—when the state is given the power to decide which ideas are "fair" enough to reach the voters, democracy suffers.
Our attorneys, Mark R. Brown and Oliver Hall, have just filed a notice with the federal court highlighting this latest rejection. We aren't just fighting for our specific initiative; we are fighting to dismantle a system that gives one government official the power to veto the will of the people. We are standing up for the fundamental right of every Ohioan to propose laws, regardless of whether the establishment agrees with them.
The Fourth Estate is RISING. Stay tuned, stay active, and join us as we continue to push for a system that truly serves the people.
Cynthia Denise Brown is the founder of the Heartbeat Movement Inc., founder and Committee Chair of Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights, and founder of The Ohio Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency, oceqi.org.