The line keeps getting moved. So, in a certain way, this is the most important election for Ohioans.
Quick recap: the GOP run legislature is attempting to make any changes to voter initiated bills / laws to require a 60% majority to pass. Not 50.1%. They call it, get this: a super majority.
The Right is pushing this as a way to keep reproductive rights with straight white men to rule over women's bodies - many of them minorities. And that is how the voting Right is seeing it.
And it is. But it is SO much more.
This is ANY voter-initiated attempt to change things in the state.
And it's being funded by - ta da - out of state folks.
What the Right doesn't understand - and honestly even a lot of the Left - is this means any and every would-be change. If there was a repeal of same sex marriage, it would have to be 60% or more. Voting right? Civil rights? Medicaid. Education. Elder health. Anything at all.
So if someone in the GOP makes a change, it is still 60% - and btw, they will pitch a fit if / when they find out this applies to them. And you can be damn sure, if a Democrat proposed a "super majority" all fucking hell would break loose.
We got our mail-in ballots (something the GOP wants to limit - surprise surprise) on Friday. We filled them out yesterday and drove them and dropped them in the single drop box in the county - another limitation by the GOP. One single drop off place where people of limited means could not participate in this manner.
And to top it off, the AG for Ohio, who should be advocating for fair election or law anything is stumping for Issue 1 to pass. A clear violation of Conflict of Interest, but who's gonna hold him accountable? Not the AG office since he is that already.
It's fucked up. It's just all fucked up. Which is why I feel all fucked up - still.
I am heartened by the number of "Vote NO on 1" signs I see. Yes, we live in a very liberal city, but last weekend we were on the west side which is normally very conservative. I only saw one Vote Yes sign and the rest were all NO. And the few pics I've seen of lines for early voting were long! I have to believe (or want to) that this is good for the NO vote.
Oh - and the special, almost never done before ever August election, was to suppress voter participation as it's during many family holidays, work obligations and back to school shit. And it's at the taxpayers expense.
If you're a registered voter in Ohio, you had better get the fuck out there and vote. Early. Or day of. I don't care you're ticket preference. This is going to affect you in so many ways down the line. Do the fucking right thing - for once.
Song by: Depeche Mode
4 comments:
LOL. The Repubs lose one referendum on abortion bans and now they want to restrict referenda.
Good for you on advocating for this. I hope your legion of Ohio-based readers are paying attention.
Vote, vote, vote, I think I am going to forward a link to your post to family in Cleveland, I am pretty sure they agree with you.
Showing up to vote every chance you get makes me admire you more and more. I think you may have peaked the day you picked up that small kitten. But voting is big. I salute you .
You might be surprised how many of us far outside Ohio are hoping your fellow citizens will realize the importance of putting a solid foot down against this type of nonsense - all the way through the next general election! I have no problem with Republicans running amok and imploding themselves as a party. Letting them inflict such damage on the public is the fault of the nut jobs who let them gain a majority in the first place - locally as well as nationally. Good luck to you!
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