The coalition pushing constitutional protections for voter rights is one step closer to circulating their petition for signatures and they're pitching the potential ballot measure as something that can have widespread support.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R-Ohio) approved the petition languagefor the proposed "Secure and Fair Elections Amendment."
The ballot initiative would create automatic voter registration, guarantee 28 days of early voting, and allow same day registration and voting.
Bennett Guess, ACLU of Ohio's executive director, says this proposal has had bipartisan support in other states because it adds protections and encourages voter participation.
"And surely we can all agree that that's an important step that we can take as Ohioans," says Bennett, adding that a similar measure passed with overwhelming support in Michigan's 2018 election.
So far there's no organized opposition against the measure.
If the Ohio Ballot Board approves it, the group can officially begin collecting signatures.
Advocates for the initiative have until July to collect 442,958 valid signatures in order to qualify for the November ballot.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau
