When asked whether lawmakers should further raise the bar for state-proposed constitutional amendments by requiring additional voter signatures, LaRose said Ohio also should consider raising the number of votes required to pass such an amendment.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Thursday he thinks the state legislature should consider raising the bar for future state constitutional amendments ahead of a potential future ballot measures ensuring legal protections for abortion and other high-profile issue campaigns.
“We have casinos and medical marijuana and all manner of things that now have found their way into the Ohio Constitution,” LaRose said.
The Secretary of State’s Office has no direct role in changing the rules for state constitutional amendments. Doing so would require a constitutional amendment itself, which could be initiated by state legislators or by an outside citizens group before being sent to voters for approval. During Thursday’s endorsement interview, LaRose defended the process through which he and Republicans approved several sets of state legislative and congressional maps that were found unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, citing the new anti-gerrymandering rules voters added to the state constitution in 2015 and 2018.
Clark also criticized LaRose for accepting an endorsement earlier this year from ex-President Donald Trump, who has falsely said the 2020 election was stolen from him as a result of massive voter fraud, a claim that has been rejected by Trump’s own Homeland Security and Justice departments, some top former campaign officials and family members, and dozens of courts.