The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that Attorney General Dave Yost did not have the authority to reject an effort to place a voting rights amendment on the ballot because of its title.
The court, in a unanimous decision issued Wednesday, found that the attorney general can only review the summary of the petition, but not the title.
"The attorney general erred in refusing to certify the proposed constitutional amendment based solely on his conclusion that the title was invalid," the opinion said. "However, the attorney general has made clear that he did not review the summary to determine whether it fairly and truthfully summarizes the proposed amendment; he reviewed only the title."
Yost had found the amendment's title — “Ohio Voters Bill of Rights” — was “highly misleading and misrepresentative” of the measure's contents.
But Yost acknowledged that his office had previously certified identical language. It certified a Nursing Facility Patients’ Bill of Rights in 2021 and another Ohio Voters Bill of Rights in 2014.
The Ohio Voters Bill of Rights calls for enshrining in the state constitution the right for all Ohioans to vote safely and securely in the state constitution.
The proposed amendment includes automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration and expanded early voting options and locations.
