Ohio voters have emphatically rejected State Issue 1. The amendment, decided in Tuesday’s special election, would have made it harder for citizens to amend the state constitution.
The call from various news organizations including the Associated Press came quickly—less than 90 minutes after the polls closed.
Issue 1 would have raised the voter threshold for future constitutional amendments to 60% from the current simple majority plus one vote. The issue also would require petition signatures-- to put an issue on the ballot-- be collected in all 88 of the state's counties. It also would have eliminated the "cure" period. That is the period that gives petitioners extra time to make up any shortfall if the first signature total falls short.
Lawmakers put the issue on an August ballot despite concerns that voter turnout would be low and despite criticisms the General Assembly had essentially eliminated August elections from the voting calendar as part of an overall voter reform bill signed into law this year. Turnout numbers, including Election Day and early voting, greatly exceeded expectations.
Groups for and opposed to Issue 1 spent millions in advertising trying to make their case for voters. The issue drew the attention of national media too as it was seen as a proxy vote for the upcoming November amendment to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution.
We are going to spend the first part of the show discussing the outcome of the August special election and State Issue 1.
Then later in the show, we bring you an excerpt from this week’s new episode of our podcast, “Mary & Bill: An Ohio Cold Case.” The podcast chronicles the 1970 unsolved murders of Mary Petry and Bill Sproat.
This week, Ideastream's Justin Glanville, who is the producer and host of the podcast, pieces together the final hours of the couple. He also shows the forensic reports to a pathologist who raises questions about the physical evidence collected and what was reported to have happened the night of the crime. Be sure to check out the podcast show page to discover more about the story.
A warning: Today's episode excerpt contains some graphic details about the case which may be difficult for some people to hear. We have only included details that contribute to the understanding of the case.
Guests:
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
-Haley BeMiller, , Political Reporter, USA Today Network Ohio Bureau
-Steven Steinglass, Dean Emeritus, Professor Emeritus, College of Law, Cleveland State University
-Justin Glanville, Senior Producer, Ideastream Public Media, Podcast Host/Producer
-Mike McIntyre, Executive Editor, Ideastream Public Media
-Lou Heldman, Ohio State graduate, Covered murder as student reporter
-Dr. Renee Robinson, Forensic Pathologist
