Vote 'no' on State Issue 1

On Aug. 8 voters will decide Ohio Issue 1 in a special election. A "yes" vote supports increasing the vote [required] to pass a constitutional amendment to a supermajority, 60%. A "no" vote retains the current, simple majority requirement.

In a bi-partisan manner, former Ohio governors Bob Taft, John Kasich, Dick Celeste and Ted Strickland, and former Ohio attorneys general, including Betty Montgomery, Jim Petro, Nancy Rogers, Lee Fisher and Richard Cordray, all strongly urge a “no” vote.

"If [this issue] had been in effect, many important amendments that are part of our political heritage would have failed, including . . . home rule, civil service reform, the Clean Ohio Fund [and] the Third Frontier Project,” said former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft. 

Due to such short notice, key voting deadlines are already upon us:

• Election Day is Aug. 8; polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Any registered voter can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot application now OR print an application by clicking here: https://tinyurl.com/OH-SpecElectIssueOneBallot (choose August 8, 2023 Special Election).
• The official deadline to apply to Vote by Mail is 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1 (To allow time for mail delivery, voters should submit their application by July 20.)
• Ballots will be mailed out to voters requesting them starting June 12.
• Completed Vote-by-Mail ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 7 or returned to the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Aug. 8.
• This is a non-partisan election; everyone gets the same ballot. Nothing else is on this Special Election ballot
• If you need to register to vote, the deadline to register is July 10.
• Days/hours for early voting in person are posted on the Board of Elections website.
• Due to new voter restrictions, voters need a photo ID to vote in person, early or on Election Day. To vote by mail, only the last 4 digits of one's SSN are needed.

State Issue 1 is a cynical power play by the Republican-led state legislature, put before the voters in a costly, rarely used Special Election, at a time when many are on vacation.  The best way to defeat it is to make your plan to vote—whether in person early, on Election Day or by mail—today.