Ohio
The Ohio Attorney General has accepted the ballot summary language for an initiative that would allow casinos in four of the state’s largest cities. The proponents original language was rejected on March 23. The petition must now go before the Ohio Ballot Board to determine if it is considered a single amendment.
A proposed ballot initiaive to allow casino gaming in four Ohio cities would tax profits at 33 percent, relatively low compared to neighboring states. Ballot language is currently pending approval before the attorney general.
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to allow casinos in four Ohio cities have submitted their ballot proposal to the Attorney General and are awaiting approval. Once approved, supporters will have until July 1 of this year to collect just over 400,000 signatures.
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The Unites States Supreme Court denied Arizona’s request for an appeal in the case Nader v. Brewer. Last year the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Arizona’s law requiring petition circulators to be state residents. Thirteen other states had asked the high court to overturn the decistion. Similar laws in Ohio and Oklahoma were invalidated last year in the 6th and 10th Circuit Courts of Appeal.
The Washington County Board of Elections met on Tuesday morning to certify candidate petitions before an upcoming May 5 primary election.
Up for reelection in 2009 are al eight seats on Marietta City Council and the Marietta City Treasurer, but none of the seats will be contested until the general election in November.
The only city-wide issue on the May 5 primary ballot in Marietta will be a referendum on the Marietta Municipal Court moratorium that voters passed by ballot initiative in November 2006.
Date initiative language can be submitted: Anytime.
Signatures tied to vote of which office: Governor
Next Gubernatorial election: 2010
Votes cast for governor in last election: 3,820,795 (2006)
You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.
Coalition for an Open & Accessible Initiative Process:
When the founding convention of the National Direct Legislation
League met in St. Louis in 1896, it elected 56 vice presidents, four of whom
were from Ohio. None of the other 36 states which were represented
provided so many.
Filing an initiative is a very simple process in Ohio. First,
the proponent of the measure must designate a committee of not less
than three (3) nor more than five (5) persons to represent them in all
matters relating to the petition. Second, the written petition signed by 100
electors must be submitted to the Attorney General with the full text and
summary of the proposed statute. The Attorney General certifies if, in her
opinion, the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed
Critics of embryonic stem cell research have accused three top Missouri officials of conspiring to prepare an unfair ballot summary for a proposal to bar use of public funds for abortion and human cloning.
The claim is asserted in a lawsuit by Missouri Roundtable for Life seeking a new ballot summary and cost estimate for a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that proponents hope to put on the 2010 ballot.
Case | Residency | Registration | Pay-Per-Signature | Distribution |
| Yes on Term Limits v. Savage (2008) |
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As a case from Arizona concerning a ban on non-residents circulating petitions is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the High Court just last week denied the State of Ohio’s appeal of a federal court ruling that the state’s ban on per signature payments to petition circulators is unconstitutional.
The Ohio legislature elected in 2006 is still in session, but it expects to adjourn on Thursday, December 18. A few days ago it passed an election law bill, SB 380, which relates to early voting. However, no legislator introduced any bill to replace the old, void ballot access procedures for new and minor political parties.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner testified recently in an Ohio legislative hearing that the state has paid out over $1,000,000 in attorneys fees, in election law cases, this past year. When she took office in January 2007, Ohio was involved in 22 election law lawsuits. Although that has now been whittled down to 10 still outstanding, new cases have been filed this year.
It’s been more than a month since Ohioans’ televisions blared and mailboxes bulged with advertisements for and against a ballot measure to allow a single casino near Wilmington.
We know the outcome: The issue was defeated handily. Now, we know the cost: $62.2 million, more than doubling the previous record for the most-expensive campaign in Ohio history.