(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has accepted the petition summary of a proposed constitutional amendment, “Ohio Voters Bill of Rights,” that seeks to amend Article V and Sections 1, 2 and 6 of the Ohio Constitution.
The Attorney General’s Office previously rejected the petition summary, submitted on Jan. 16, 2024, for having a misleading title.
Following an Ohio Supreme Court ruling in State ex rel. Dudley v. Yost, the summary was re-examined – without considering its title – and deemed fair and truthful.
The Attorney General’s role in the petition process, as laid out in ORC 3519.01, is to determine whether the submitted language fairly and truthfully summarizes the proposed statute or constitutional amendment.
A response letter sent to the petitioners says, “The fact that the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Ohio concludes the relevant statute does not grant me authority to review the title does not change my determination that it is misleading.”
“The Court did not reach a decision on the merits of that determination. I stand by it. I urge you to consider a more accurate and less misleading title.”
Next in the process, the Ohio Ballot Board must determine whether the proposal contains a single constitutional amendment or multiple constitutional amendments. If the board certifies the proposal, the petitioners must then collect signatures from registered voters equal to at least 10% of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.
Those signatures must come from voters in at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties, and for each of those counties the number must equal at least 5% of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.
If sufficient signatures are verified by the Ohio secretary of state at least 65 days before the election, the full text of the proposed amendment shall be placed on the ballot in the next regular or general election that occurs subsequent to 125 days after the filing of such petition.
The full text of the certification letter and the petition can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/Petitions.
