A Constitutional Perspective on Issue 1 in Ohio- 2023

With all due respect, the arguments that have been made against Issue 1 are either dishonest or uninformed. Or both.

I don’t know why you would call yourself a Republican if you are so against a republican form of government. Go join the democratic socialists. We are a constitutional republic in America, not a democracy. We never were a democracy, and our founders were vehemently against a democracy for our form of government. Thomas Jefferson called it “mob rule”. Ben Franklin compared a democracy to “two wolves and a lamb deciding on what to have for lunch.” They warned us that democracies ALWAYS lead to dictatorship and despotism. We pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands- we are not a democracy and shouldn’t want to be. The Constitution (A4S4) also guarantees that every state will have a republican form of government. There is a big difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic. And it is important.

Our Constitution says that in our REPUBLIC, we are governed by elected representatives, not by majority rule. If the legislature doesn’t represent the needs of the people, vote them out and get new representatives. That’s the way our republic is supposed to work. I suppose that if you don’t care about the Constitution and can’t get your duly elected legislature to pass your radical agenda, you would just try to flood the fake media with money and try to deceive the voters into voting for your radical ideas. After all, most voters are shallow and are easily swayed by 140-character tweets or deceptive slogans like “black lives matter,” “the Inflation Reduction Act,” “reproductive freedom,” or “one person, one vote.” We shouldn’t fall for that. Do your homework. The future of Ohio is at stake. Read the language yourself.

Here are just a couple of examples of what I mean by “deceptive.”

• The coalition against Issue 1 calls themselves: “One Person, One Vote.” What is “one person one vote” supposed to mean? As if every person wouldn’t have an equal vote if Issue 1 was passed. I suppose they are trying to subtly compare it to the 3/5 clause in the Constitution that was nullified by the 13th Amendment. Intentionally deceptive. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you don’t know anything about the U.S. Constitution and you shouldn’t be voting.

• What about the claim that it would be too hard to get another citizen-initiated ballot passed at 60%? The fact is that there are only 9 states, including Ohio, that allow a simple majority vote to pass an amendment. 32 states don’t allow citizen led amendments at all. We are the exception in being so easy, not the rule. It’s also a fact that 15 of the last 20 amendments to the Ohio Constitution passed the voters with more than 60% of the vote. The last three amendments were passed with more than 75% of the vote. If an amendment is worthy, it will be passed at 60%. So that is also ridiculous. Why would someone even say that if they were not trying to deceive you?

Most importantly, a constitution should not be easy to change. A Constitution is not a "policy" document, it is a "principles" document- it lays out the core structure and principles to which all other laws must adhere. Laws can change based on the changing needs and desires of the culture. They can be nullified or replaced as needed. They can be overturned by the courts. A Constitution is meant to be a permanent, structural document, not a backdoor for frivolous or deceptive policies that have no chance in the current, duly elected legislature. Why does the Ohio Constitution specify the address of the Columbus casino?

The U.S. Constitution is much harder to amend. It has only been amended 17 times, after the initial Bill of Rights was ratified by 3/4th of the states in 1791. Notice, that is 75% needed for ratification, not 50%+1. The Ohio Constitution has been amended 10x that many: 174 times since 1803. It has been amended to pass job programs, establish the location of casinos, raise money through bond issues, and even establish standards of care for poultry. I’m not saying that any of these are necessarily bad things, but none of these things belong in a constitution- they are not permanent. They should be laws passed by the duly elected representatives of the people to meet a particular need at a particular time.

What’s next? If we don’t shore up our Constitution to protect our republic, we’ll see a flood of radical amendments… from legalizing drugs, to restrictions on firearms, to elimination of parental consent laws, unrestricted abortion through all nine months, and new green policies that hurt small businesses. Don’t be fooled, this is a radical ploy to go around a non-cooperative legislature.

We need to strengthen our Constitution for all of these reasons. Don’t fall for their deceptive slogans and hyperbole. Do your homework before you vote on August 8th.Vote YES to protect Ohio from the radical left agenda that is sure to follow if we don’t.