Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Yost Rejects Ballot Initiative's Petition Summary Language

Ohio Public Radio

Republican Ohio Attorney General David Yost has rejected language for a potential ballot issue to expand voting rights.The group behind the initiative to expand and solidify voter rights says they remain committed to the issue. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

The petition language for what's known as the "Secure and Fair Elections Amendment" was turned down by the AG's office.

A statement from the Attorney General's Office said the role of the AG is to determine whether the petition summary is a "fair and truthful representation of the proposed amendment."

The AG says it was rejected because the summary of the proposed constitutional amendment is longer than the proposed amendment itself and the summary includes a paragraph of text that is not included in the proposed amendment.

The ACLU of Ohio is backing the proposed constitutional amendment that would, among other things, create automatic voter registration through the BMV and allow same-day registration and voting.

The group acknowledges that rejected petition language is a common practice and it says they will be refiling.

They need to collect nearly 443,000 valid signatures by July to qualify for the November ballot.

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content