Chetzemoka

In Tuesday's special election, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted against requiring a supermajority to amend their state constitution

Voters in Ohio went to the polls to decide whether to approve a measure known as Issue 1​ that would raise the bar for constitutional amendments on the ballot. In the ultimate irony, the vote against changing the amendment process exceeded the 60% supermajority that the special election was seeking to require in the first...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-issue-1-special-election-2023-abortion-rights-results/

Ohio Issue 1: Voters go to the polls in special election with major implications for abortion rights

Voters in Ohio are at the polls to decide whether to approve a measure known as Issue 1​ that would raise the bar for constitutional amendments on the ballot.

CBS News
Aug 9, 2023 at 1:08amWeb
Show threadOttoVonBizmarkieAug 9, 2023
I read somewhere that Republicans spent $20 million to pass this thing, and it’s going to fail miserably. Just icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned! That $20 million could’ve went to paying Trump’s lawyers!
Show threadFartsWithAnAccentAug 9, 2023
Don’t be ridiculous, Trump doesn’t pay his lawyers lol
Show threadPons_AeliusAug 9, 2023
Well, they get so much media exposure from representing him, that should be payment enough...
Show threadpitninjaAug 9, 2023
Don’t forget, they also get legal exposure!
Show threadAttackPandaAug 9, 2023
I assume many are religious so there is a third type of exposure they have undoubtedly received. Hat trick!
Show threadCatsGoMOWAug 9, 2023
Not surprising, but I’m pretty sure that it cost the state somewhere around $20m just to have this bull crap special election in the first place. Party of fiscal responsibility. Hah!
Show threadSulaymanFAug 9, 2023
New York Times says over $30 million
Show threadOttoVonBizmarkieAug 9, 2023
Even better! $30 million = a 10+ point loss! Keep shoveling the money into the fire Republican donors!
Show threadaseriesoftubesAug 9, 2023
Fascist asshole Richard Uihlein spent $4 million of his own money on this amendment, and he doesn’t even have any connections to Ohio.
GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein pours millions into effort to hinder Ohio abortion amendment

Illinois megadonor Richard Uihlein was the top donor backing a special election ballot measure aimed at stopping a constitutional amendment on abortion in Ohio.

CBS News
Show threadOttoVonBizmarkieAug 9, 2023
I’m sure if he dropped $4 million, it’s probably a drop in int bucket for him, but that shit has still gotta sting!
Show threadgirlfreddyAug 9, 2023

@OttoVonBizmarkie @aseriesoftubes

I dunno about you guys, but Canadians get HUGE tax write-offs for political donations, so maybe the benefits outweigh the loss here.

And the GOP just learned an important lesson ... never let the people decide 'cause they are often smarter than the manipulative politicians (Brexit aside ofc).

Show threadPons_AeliusAug 9, 2023

If I read this correctly, a supermajority of voters decided that a supermajority should not be required to amend the constitution.

Sounds like a win to me.

Show threadChetzemokaAug 9, 2023
That is correct. Such a delicious win.
Show threadcaptainlezbianAug 9, 2023
Yeah it’s obviously about trying to stop us from legalizing abortion. Also we ain’t standing for anti democratic bs
Show threadjonneAug 9, 2023
Or any other policy that isn’t supported by the political duopoly. Stuff like higher minimum wages, expanding Medicare and allowing felons to vote got passed in otherwise Republican states this way, which is why they wanted to require a supermajority.
Show threadCaptDustAug 9, 2023
This got tied to abortion because “wow isn’t that convenient timing” but was so much bigger. Republicans are watching other midwest states push progressive policies through grassroots ballots and it scares the shit out of them.
Show threadLazlowsBAWSAQAug 9, 2023
Woo hoo!
Show threadFartsWithAnAccentAug 9, 2023
I don’t normally say this, but good job Ohio.
Show threadChetzemokaAug 9, 2023

Always remember that Ohio has been gerrymandered to shit. Republicans got so mad that the big-C cities voted Obama in twice that they decided to do everything they could to erode the rights and power of those city voters.

But you can't dilute the cities in a statewide vote. Look at the voting map on this issue: all major cities and college towns voted against

Show threadrustyjAug 9, 2023
District 1 is a fucking joke, I hate living in it. How is downtown Cincinnati connected to Warren county in any way? The seat used to be competitive, but It hasn’t swung democrat since the change in 2011.
Show threadChetzemokaAug 9, 2023
My parents are over in District 6, aka "let's make sure Ohio University never moves the needle on a vote ever again."
Show threadbuttsbuttsbuttsAug 9, 2023
You have to remember that Trump easily won Ohio in 2020. This issue pulled in people from across party lines.
Show threadChetzemokaAug 9, 2023

The Ohio GOP deliberately purged massive amounts of voters off the rolls as well. Jon Husted is a rat bastard:

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/state/2018/11/20/husted-restarts-voter-roll-purge/8312900007/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/18/activists-sue-ohio-republican-voting-access-restrictions

Husted restarts voter roll purge

Controversial purges of Ohio voter rolls will resume after a directive Tuesday from Secretary of State Jon Husted, likely meaning that tens of thousands of inactive voters will become ineligible to c…

The Columbus Dispatch
Show thread0110010001100010Aug 9, 2023
Yay! Proud to say I was a part of this as were my wife and daughter! We all voted early on Saturday. Huge kudos to the MASSIVE turnout to shoot this down, sometimes you can be alright fellow ohioans.
Show threadDark ArcAug 9, 2023
Thank you all for your votes (also a part of this one) :)
Show threadkaitcoAug 9, 2023

It’s at 58% reporting. I’m not relaxing until it’s at 80%+.

I voted three weeks ago, but this whole time I’ve been wondering if I can stay in this state if this managed to pass. My hope is that the No vote comes to 60%; the irony would be delicious.

Show thread0110010001100010Aug 9, 2023
It's at 70% reporting now. The AP called it saying it was impossible to switch to a yes given the districts reporting. The "no" still has a healthy 57% lead. Pretty sure Ohio kicked the GOP right in the proverbial balls. Also, (at the moment) 2.3 MILLION voters turned out for an August special election with this being the only issue?!
Show threadgirlfreddyAug 9, 2023

@0110010001100010 @Chetzemoka @kaitco

I don't have a horse in this race but I wanna cheer anyway. \O/

Show threadChetzemokaAug 9, 2023

If you're American, you definitely do. Republicans have tried this same strategy before and will try again. Like notorious conservative apologist, David Frum, said, "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. The will reject democracy."

Celebrate this win with us

Show threadsnownyteAug 9, 2023
If this is an indication of anything, how does the GOP feel about their chances going into next year knowing that they're the party that gutted abortion rights? Yeah you're not winning presidency and you can kiss those mid-terms goodbye too, assholes.
Show threadSpacemanspliffAug 9, 2023
Oh don’t worry, if they see any chance to abuse their power and potentially get away with it, they won’t even dream about giving it a second thought.
Show threadsoren446Aug 9, 2023
Rare Ohio W
Show threadBlueAug 9, 2023
The irony that this bill only needed 50 +1 to get passed kept my head shaking the whole time. The least they could do is hold themselves to their own expectations. Anyway, glad this went down to defeat.
Show threadInternetUser2012Aug 9, 2023

Interest in the special election was intense, even after Republicans ignored their own law that took effect earlier this year to place the question before voters in August.

The went against their OWN law to pull this shady bullshit, and they still got curb stomped for it. VOTE all of these bastards out of office.

Show threadAFK BRB ChocolateAug 9, 2023
One part of the proposal that wasn’t getting as much attention is that it upped the requirement for ballot measures from having to get signatures in 44 districts (half of them) to needing signatures in all 88. That was to try and suppress grass roots efforts from even getting on the ballot. Such an undemocratic bunch of chucklefucks.
Show threadcloakerAug 9, 2023
Holy shit. That would have meant almost no grassroots ballot measures would get off the ground. People would be forced to hire groups all across the state to drive and get signatures from random rural fuck off counties.
Show threadaircooledJenkinsAug 9, 2023
That’s a bingo.
Show threadcloakerAug 10, 2023
terrifying. Here in Aus my state requires a simple majority. There would be riots, good on you Ohio.
Show threadbuttsbuttsbuttsAug 9, 2023
It also removed the signature curing period, meaning that there is no second chance to get more signatures or any of the originals get thrown out. For example, there is a recreational marijuana initiative that people are trying to get on the ballot in November. When they turned in signatures, it was found that they were, iirc, 639 signatures short. Under the current rules (which will remain) they had 10 days to come up with what they needed. Last I saw, they had gotten over 6,000, so that’s cool.
Show threadNot A BirdAug 9, 2023
Did they sneak it in as part of issue 1?
Show threadmithbtAug 9, 2023

It was always part of Issue 1. The 3 big changes for issue 1 were:

  • Change the number of countries requiring signatures for ballot measures from 44 (half the countries in Ohio) to 88 (all of the countries in Ohio). If I remember correctly, that’s 5000 signatures from each county.
  • Remove petition curing period so that if some petition signatures were rejected, there would be no time to get more and the measure would not be put on the ballot.
  • Require a super-majority (60%) for a ballot measure to pass, rather than a simple majority (>50%).

    • To me, the least troubling of these was the super-majority part that’s been so hyped up, because the first 2 changes would have made it near impossible for voter-led initiatives to even get on the ballot to begin with. The only ballot measures we’d ever have a chance to vote on would be whatever the state house seemed worthy. All to prevent a ballot measure this November that would allow abortions for non-viable fetuses.

    Show threadroguestewAug 9, 2023

    Regarding point 2, it’s interesting to note that the cannabis organization initiative fell short by nearly 700 signatures just a couple of weeks ago. During that curing period nearly 7000 signatures were obtained.

    This initiative easily had enough support to get put on the ballot, but issue 1 sought to make it so bills in this situation would be dead in the water. An active subversion of the will of the people.

    Show threademanon458Aug 9, 2023

    Such an undemocratic bunch of chucklefucks.

    I believe the term is ratfuckers.

    Show threadInternetUser2012Aug 9, 2023
    Ratfucker Chucklefucks.
    Show threadNotAFuckingBotAug 9, 2023
    I live where IN, OH, and KY meet. ‘Pigfuckers’ would be closer to the truth, but I won’t quibble.
    Show threadDark ArcAug 9, 2023
    This is what angered me the most about this issue. I’m happy my fellow Ohioans were able to see this for the power grab that it was.
    Show threadDefault_DefectAug 9, 2023
    Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on Ohio…
    Show threadgeogleAug 9, 2023
    Eh oh, way to go Ohio
    Show threadNevermore9197Aug 9, 2023

    The people of Ohio are generally very centrist to left leaning. We however have been so (illegally) gerrymandered that it certainly doesn’t appear that way. Rural Ohio is Conservative just like everywhere else in this country.

    When decisions are made democratically, as this was, we usually make the correct decision. That’s why the right tried to take this away from us.

    Show threadbroguy89Aug 9, 2023
    Trump won Ohio. Preaidential elections are not gerrymandered at the state level.
    Show threadPennomiAug 9, 2023

    That’s not strictly true. Each state determines its own way to determine delegates.

    An except from www.archives.gov/electoral-college/allocation

    All States, except for Maine and Nebraska, have a winner-take-all policy where the State looks only at the overall winner of the state-wide popular vote. Maine and Nebraska, however, appoint individual electors based on the winner of the popular vote within each Congressional district and then 2 “at-large” electors based on the winner of the overall state-wide popular vote.

    While it is rare for Maine or Nebraska to have a split vote, each has done so twice: Nebraska in 2008, Maine in 2016, and both Maine and Nebraska in 2020.

    Distribution of Electoral Votes

    Allocation among the States Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of Senators and Representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its Senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts. Under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, the District of Columbia is allocated three electors and treated like a State for purposes of the Electoral College.

    National Archives
    Show threadDark ArcAug 9, 2023
    Well, it is true of Ohio.
    Show threadna_th_anAug 9, 2023
    Gerrymandering affects turnout, especially when done as blatantly and for as long as they have in Ohio.
    Show thread😈MedicPig🐷BabySaver😈Aug 9, 2023
    Smart move Ohio voters!
    Show threadbroguy89Aug 9, 2023
    The article says 57% voted no, not 60%.
    Show threadDark ArcAug 9, 2023
    And…?
    Show threadrandon31415Aug 9, 2023
    “Overwhelmingly”, yet if issue 1 was in place and people were voting to get rid of it, they wouldn’t have reached it’s threshold. Shows how undemocratic it would have been.
    Show threadSeaJAug 9, 2023
    Republicans purposely made this seemingly decent legislation complete shit. It makes sense to have a higher threshold for constitutional amendments. But 60% makes it nearly impossible. And this did not require its own 60% bar to pass. And it required getting signatures from all districts instead of just half which would mean only larger organizations could do it. All of it was bullshit. They went for a very thinly veiled power grab and the people told them to fuck off. Well done Ohio.