Ingram Condemns Passage of S.J.R. 2 and S.B. 92

Today, state Senator Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) issued a statement after the Ohio Senate voted along party lines to pass Senate Joint Resolution 2 and Senate Bill 92. S.J.R. 2 would raise the threshold for Ohioans to pass constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%, while S.B. 92 would allow for August special elections when a proposed constitutional amendment is on the ballot.

“As a school board member for over 20 years in Cincinnati, we had to raise school district funding by putting a tax levy or a bond issue on the ballot,” said Sen. Ingram. “Last year, with HB 458, Republican members argued that eliminating August special elections was necessary because of the extremely low voter turnout. With that argument, they claimed that school boards were tricking Ohio voters. Now, what we have is the hypocritical move to re-instate August elections for self-serving purposes of the majority party.”

This legislation would undermine ballot issues that are likely to be supported by a majority of Ohioans, such as protecting reproductive rights (59%), creating an independent citizens’ redistricting commission to stop partisan gerrymandering (56%), increasing the minimum wage (60%), or fully legalizing marijuana (58%).

During the 134th General Assembly, the Republican-controlled legislature passed House Bill 458, which eliminated August special elections under almost all circumstances. S.B. 92 would reauthorize special elections, immediately resulting in a costly and unnecessary $20 million August 8 special election.

Now that a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to codify abortion access in Ohio is likely to be on the ballot this November, Republicans are trying to make it more difficult for voters to amend Ohio’s constitution this August.

S.J.R. 2 and S.B. 92 both have companion legislation in the House, H.J.R. 1 and H.B. 144, and now head to the House for consideration.