Smith Condemns Concurrence of S.J.R. 2

Today, state Senator Kent Smith (D-Euclid) issued a statement after the Ohio Senate voted along party lines to concur with the changes made by the House of Representatives to Senate Joint Resolution 2, which would raise the threshold for Ohioans to pass citizen-initiated constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%.

“This legislation grew out of an extreme segment of the GOP who are afraid of the will of the people,” said Smith. “The adoption of this legislation to change Ohio’s constitution will empower minority rule and end the longstanding core value of one person, one vote. During the Senate’s afternoon voting session, we could hear the chants of the protestors gathered in the people’s house. While those voices were heard, they were not listened to. May 10, 2023, will be seen as an infamous day in Ohio history.”

On Tuesday, the House Rules and Reference Committee amended S.J.R. 2 to put the resolution before voters during the next special or general election. However, because Republicans voted to eliminate almost all August special elections in House Bill 458 during the 134th General Assembly, the resolution wouldn’t have appeared on the ballot until the November general election.

During Wednesday’s House session, S.J.R. 2 was amended again to include language that the resolution would be put before voters on August 8. In addition to changing the required threshold for voters to approve constitutional amendments, S.J.R. 2 requires signatures of at least 5% of the electors in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, instead of 44, and eliminates the 10-day period to file additional signatures for an initiated constitutional amendment.

The General Assembly will now file the resolution with the Secretary of State.