Fair Districts and We Are Ohio Release Unified Letter Rejecting Anti-Democracy Legislation that Attacks Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives, Includes 100+ Signatories
Columbus – Today, Fair Districts and We Are Ohio released an organizational sign-on letter opposing SB 153 and HB 233 and its blatant attack on direct democracy. The letter includes signatures and support from 134 organizations statewide, spanning religious groups, nonpartisan political organizations, and unions, among others.
The letter, directed toward the Ohio General Assembly and Gov. Mike DeWine, outlines the anti-voter proposals within the bill and expresses the unwavering rejection of these efforts from the coalition.
If passed, SB 153 and HB 233 would disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters, add unnecessary burdens for Boards of Elections, and hinder Ohioans’ right to direct democracy by negatively impacting the citizen-initiated ballot process. Ohio’s democratic processes are already safe, secure, and accurate. These unfunded mandates and unwarranted assaults from all sides will only create additional barriers, exclude eligible voters, and hinder election turnout.
“Not only are these extreme lawmakers taking power away from the people by making statewide initiative petitions and referendums nearly impossible, they are taking power away from local government by placing new barriers to place local issues on the ballot such as liquor permits, local zoning, and county charter changes. This is a right that has been enshrined in Ohio’s constitution for over 110 years, one that has been used sparingly and judiciously, and any attempt to weaken that right is unacceptable,” said Jen Miller, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio.
“This is just another thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise Black voters and Black communities. They don’t like it when voters go against them, so now they’re attacking the people who put issues before the voters by bullying, threatening, and possibly prosecuting volunteers who step up to collect signatures,” said Pierrette “Petee” Talley, Regional Director, OCBCP Ohio Unity Coalition.
“Ohio’s anti-worker extremist lawmakers are back at it, once again trying to stifle the voice of working people and take away our constitutionally protected right to citizen-led ballot initiatives. We have stood up to them before when they tried to attack our collective bargaining rights, and we will stand up to them again,” said Chris Mabe, President, Ohio Civil Service Employees Association(OCSEA)/AFSCME Local 11.
“SB 153 and HB 233 are dangerous, deceitful, unnecessary and harmful. The sponsor is using hyped up concerns about paid circulators as an excuse to attack volunteers and stop voters from having a voice in our democracy. Volunteers who collect signatures would be forced to sign away their 5th Amendment constitutional rights, potentially subjecting them to politically motivated investigations,” said Catherine Turcer, Executive Director, Common Cause Ohio.
“These aggressive assaults on working people and everyday Ohioans are unjust and immoral and go against everything that Christians and other people of faith stand for. We reject every idea in SB 153 and HB 233. No part is acceptable because every sentence and paragraph, every comma and semicolon is a clear and present attack on voters and democracy,” said Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., Executive Director, The Ohio Council of Churches.
The letter and list of signees can be found here.
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