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

Today, state Senator Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) 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 past member of the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission, we considered a proposal in 2017 to raise the threshold for passing initiated constitutional amendments to 55%,” said Senator Sykes. “This was packaged with other proposals intended to protect citizen-initiated statutes. At the time it was considered, the idea of even moderately raising the approval threshold was tabled, even when paired with proposals that would protect initiated statutes. It was as clear then as it is now that raising the threshold for approving constitutional amendments, even to just 55%, let alone 60%, is neither in the interest of Ohioans nor our democracy.”

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.