If you are an Ohio voter — Republican, Democrat or independent — you probably don't know just how scary you are.
The Republican Party in Ohio and its lobbyist allies are terrified of you; their bones shake at the power you hold.
All because you have the power to bring to a screeching halt their plan to control every aspect of life in Ohio.
All by voting "no" on Issue 1 in this Aug. 8 special election.
If you vote it down, you will deal a death blow to the GOP's Hail Mary plan to defeat a reproductive rights amendment that is on Ohio's November ballot, which explains why anti-abortion groups and churches are on board the "Yes on 1" bandwagon.
But Issue 1 isn't just about abortion. If you vote it down, you prevent the Republican establishment from using a tool to prevent Ohio voters from passing constitutional amendments in the future on a wide range of issues the GOP abhors:
- A new system of drawing legislative district lines that takes elected officials out of the process.
- A constitutional amendment raising the state's minimum wage.
- Real gun control, such as universal background checks and the banning of assault weapons.
Basically, any issue that does not meet the approval of Ohio GOP leaders such as Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and Gov. Mike DeWine.
LISTEN: Here's what a supporter and opponent have to say about Issue 1
If it passes, that will be the final nail in the coffin for Ohio voters. The GOP establishment and their allies will have complete control of every aspect of life in the Buckeye State, from cradle to grave.
What Issue 1 would do
Ohioans need to know what the passage of Issue 1 would do.
It would do away with 111 years of precedent by raising the bar for passage of a constitutional amendment from 50% plus one to 60%.
This would mean that 41% of the electorate could effectively veto the will of 59% of Ohio voters.
It really is as if a football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines ended with a score of 59 to 41 in favor of the Buckeyes and the Wolverines were declared the winner.
Now, that would ruin your Saturday afternoon in November, wouldn't it?
ANALYSIS: What Michigan can teach Ohio about redistricting
But as odious as the 60% threshold might be, it may not be the worst part of this awful ballot issue.
It could make it nearly impossible for citizen-initiated petitions to reach the ballot.
For many years, the legal standard for petition initiatives has been that petitions must have signatures of 5% of eligible voters in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.
Issue 1 would increase that to all 88 counties, which would be a Herculean effort and incredibly expensive burden for any organization trying to get an issue on the ballot.
Worse yet, that 88 county rule means that one county — one — could effectively veto any idea, good or bad, from being voted on by the people of the entire state.
The fact is that they don't want people voting on their own ideas. The Republican supermajority in the Ohio Statehouse wants to simply dictate how Ohio will be run.
Even for Republican voters, that should be a bridge too far.
Proponents of Issue 1 argue that they are trying to prevent "out of state special interests" from swooping into Ohio, spending millions, and convincing Ohioans to approve their self-serving constitutional amendments.
That has happened once in recent years — the 2009 ballot issue to set up casino gambling in Ohio.
Never mind that the pro-Issue 1 campaign is funded by an out-of-state billionaire.
In an Issue 1 forum this week at Cleveland's City Club, two opponents — former Democratic governor Dick Celeste and a Republican, former attorney general Betty Montgomery — squared off with LaRose and a fellow proponent, State Rep. Susan Manchester, a Republican from Auglaize County.
LaRose argued that Ohio's current rules have made the state become an "easy mark" for out-of-state special interests.
The Republican secretary of state said requiring a 60% supermajority would "put Ohio into the mainstream with most other states when it comes to protecting our constitution."
Montgomery responded by saying that the rules in Ohio are hard enough as is.
"With all due respect, you see a deliberate attempt to prevent any attempts to get a constitution amended," Montgomery said. "Because when folks say 'It's so easy. We're a target for amendments,' we know the numbers tell us that's not true."
Over the past 100 years, with the present rule in place, voters in Ohio have approved 19 of 71 citizen-initiated constitutional amendments — 10 of them with at least 60%.
This shows that Ohio voters do know what they are doing when it comes to voting on constitutional amendments.
Unlike the backers of Issue 1, who know full well that on most issues, they can't win unless they put their thumbs on the scale and change the rules.
The last thing they need is Republican politicians in the Statehouse rigging the system to their own advantage.
Issue 1 is a solution in search of a problem, and its backers know that.
They are afraid of the power you hold when you mark your ballot.
Don't let them dilute that power. Don't let them cheapen it.
RELATED: How and where to vote in Ohio's August special election
Too many people have for too long fought and even died to give you the power of that vote. It should not be given away.
Give them something to be really scared about in this election — your vote against Issue 1.
Howard Wilkinson's views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of WVXU, Cincinnati Public Radio, its board, staff or management.
