Ohio Ballot Board Places Inaccurate, Illegal Language on August Special Election Ballot Meant to Deceive Voters

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Elliott Forhan (D-Euclid) today issued the following statement regarding today’s Ballot Board hearing that failed to include language on the upcoming August special election that details the current rules for amending Ohio’s Constitution: 

“Democracy means the people get to choose. But you can’t choose if you don’t know what the choice is. Ohioans deserve to make a free and fair choice at the ballot box. But, the Ballot Board failed them today by passing inaccurate, misleading and deceitful ballot language,” said Rep. Forhan. 

Purposely leaving off language that informs voters what the current law states defies legal standards established by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012. 

“Illegal, gerrymandered maps created an illegal Republican supermajority in the Ohio legislature. As a result, Ohioans must endure an illegal August election, an illegal ballot issue title and illegal ballot language for this undemocratic and unpopular attempt to rewrite the rules of how we amend our constitution,” said Rep. Forhan. “Ohio voters will reject all of this if and when it appears on their ballot. The ballot issue title by law must be a ‘true and impartial’ statement of the issue. The ballot language, according to the constitution and long-standing case law, must inform voters of what the issue does because voters have the right to know what they’re voting on. The title and language pushed through by the Secretary of State today for this undemocratic issue fails to meet these long-standing legal requirements. Voters deserve better and, together, we will demand better at the ballot box.”

Today’s Ballot Board officially named SJR 2 as “State Issue 1” on the ballot for the August 8th election.