(COLUMBUS, OH, 12/12/22)– On Wednesday, December 7th, the Community Relations Assistant of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio), Shireen Shaaban, testified to the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee in opposition to House Joint Resolution 6, a resolution to require 60% vote for initiated constitutional amendment.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Rep. Brian Stewart recently announced an effort to change the Ohio Constitution to make it nearly impossible for Ohio citizens to pass ballot initiatives to amend the state constitution. House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR6) is a constitutional amendment that, if passed, will raise the threshold to pass citizen-led Constitutional Amendments on the ballot from a simple majority (50% plus one) to a super majority (60%).
HJR6 would affect a wide range of issues, including redistricting reform. This impacts not only voting rights, but healthcare access, access to education, civil and economic justice, and much more. All of which apply to every Muslim and every Ohioan. This proposal would create an unfair, unpopular, and undemocratic process to bring issues that Ohioans care about to the ballot.
“Making the ballot initiative process even harder for citizens groups will make it almost impossible for anyone except big money special interests to successfully pass a ballot initiative in Ohio,” said Shaaban.
To learn more, visit Ohio Voter Rights Coalition website.
Watch Shireen Shaaban’s full witness testimony here.
Stop this attack on direct democracy in its tracks. TAKE ACTION here.
