(President Biden Tuesday designated the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kuveni – Ancestral Footprints of Grand Canyon National Monument.)
Ohio Says No to Issue 1 – Voters in Ohio turned out in high numbers for an August ballot initiative to reject Issue 1, which would have required a 60% vote to pass a November initiative codifying abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Ohio ballot initiatives have required just 50% plus-one for 111 years.
With 90% of the tally in, “no” was leading the Republican-backed “yes” on Issue 1 by more than 350,000 vote in, AP reports. Cuyahoga County and other Democratic-friendly regions had yet to report. Republicans blamed the summer-vacation timing of the ballot initiative, NPR reports, even though the party’s leaders pushed for the date, ahead of the regular November elections.
If Issue 1 had passed, it would also require signatures from all 88 Ohio counties to get on the ballot, according to ABC News. The state’s current law requires signatures by 5% of the number of votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.
Upshot: While Issue 1 was primarily about defeating a November ballot initiative that would assure abortion rights in a state governed by Republicans, in the long run it’s also about voting rights. For perspective on the authoritarian wing of the GOP, read our latest newsletter at thehustings.substack.com.
--TL
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TUESDAY 8/8/23
What Voter Turnout? – Ohio voters weigh in Tuesday on Issue 1, a ballot measure that would require 60% approval for changes to the state’s constitution. For 111 years, Ohio ballot initiatives have required just 50% for a change to its constitution, The Washington Post notes. Not coincidentally, there’s an initiative on Ohio’s November ballot that seeks to enshrine abortion rights to the state constitution, so if Tuesday’s measure passes, it would require 60% rather than 50% of the vote to pass.
Issue 1 is the only reason for Ohioans to go to the polls today, smack in the middle of vacation season. Or, as Gov. Mike DeWine, who along with the majorities of both Ohio’s legislative chambers, is a Republican, put it: “People are still going to have the opportunity to vote, and people are going to vote on this.”
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa
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MONDAY 8/7/23
Protection for Prosecutors – After Donald J. Trump’s all-caps message on his Truth Social media outlet Friday, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU”, federal prosecutors in last week’s indictment alleging he tried to overturn the 2020 election asked for a protection order that would prevent the ex-president from sharing evidence of the case publicly. Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a request from defense attorneys to extend the deadline for the protection order beyond 5:30 p.m. Monday, August 7, NPR’s Morning Edition reports.
Attorneys for Trump once again accused “President Biden’s Justice Department” of trying to suppress political speech and attempted in vain to delay Judge Chutkan’s order.
“The point is, we will not agree to keeping information that’s not sensitive from the press,” Trump attorney John Lauro told Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. He added; “I’m shocked that the press isn’t lined up objecting to the order.”
Upshot: Above his attorney team’s rhetoric, the former president’s warning in capital letters above serve as a clear indication of how authoritarian and vindictive his return to the White House would be.
--TL