COLUMBUS – The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a voting rights ballot initiative put forth by Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections meets the single subject standard, overruling a March 2nd decision from the Ohio Ballot Board to divide the petition into four separate issues. The ballot board is now under court order to approve the initiative.
The following is a statement from Toni Webb, Campaign Manager for Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections:
“The Ohio Supreme Court made the correct decision today. We are very pleased that clear law was upheld. The ballot board’s unlawful decision to choose politics over people underscores why our proposal must go directly before voters. But the battle is not over: Now we face the impossible challenge of meeting the state’s requirement to collect hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clearly, face-to-face signature gathering cannot, and should not, take place, given the Governor's social distancing directive and the Department of Health’s Stay at Home Order. We have filed a lawsuit in state court to ensure that the campaign can continue in a manner that is safe and equitable for all Ohioans. Our mission remains the same - modernizing our voting and registration laws with commonsense changes will help make our elections secure and accessible so all eligible Ohioans have their voices heard and their vote protected."
