Ohio Farm Bureau supports Issue 1
The ballot initiative asks Ohio voters if the state should strengthen the petition process and raise the threshold to 60% for approving constitutional amendment proposals.
Read MoreThe ballot initiative asks Ohio voters if the state should strengthen the petition process and raise the threshold to 60% for approving constitutional amendment proposals.
Issue 1, a ballot initiative that asks Ohio voters if the state should strengthen the petition process and raise the threshold to 60% for approving constitutional amendment proposals, has the support of Ohio Farm Bureau.
“Our members created policies through our grassroots process which strongly supports these proposed constitutional changes,” said Adam Sharp, executive vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau. “Making the process of amending Ohio’s Constitution more fair and thoughtful is something our members think is important and this resolution will accomplish just that.”
The ballot measure will be part of a special election Aug. 8. If passed, the resolution will raise the threshold for approving constitutional amendments to 60% and also will modify the requirements for the petition process for proposals to change the constitution, requiring no less than 5% of the electors represented from every county of the state to sign a petition. Currently, signatures must be gathered for only 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Additionally, the initiative would eliminate a 10-day period that petitioners are granted to replace any invalid signatures. Notably, Issue 1 only applies to constitutional changes, and the initiated petition process to amend Ohio law remains unchanged.
“Ohio voters, no matter which county they are from, have differing ideas when they head to the polls, so leaving half of the state’s counties out of the petition process for any statewide constitutional amendment change doesn’t seem right,” Sharp said. “This isn’t about one single social issue for our members. It is about getting all corners of the state involved when a constitutional amendment that would impact all Ohioans is at stake. For too long, many of Ohio’s rural communities have been overlooked and not had a voice on what amendments to the constitution may be considered.”
The passage of this issue would also protect Ohio agriculture and the state’s food security by having a more thoughtful approach to amending the Ohio Constitution. In recent years, efforts have been made by outside special interest groups to push anti-agricultural initiatives to make it more difficult to produce food in the U.S. and incentivize imports from other countries. As a result, the U.S. has seen historic agricultural trade surpluses shift to trade deficits, which directly impacts Ohio Farm Bureau members and family farms across the country.
The ballot initiative asks Ohio voters if the state should strengthen the petition process and raise the threshold to 60% for approving constitutional amendment proposals.
Read MoreMany lines of the state budget would have an impact, both positively and negatively, on Ohio agriculture. Find out Farm Bureau’s position on those significant items.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau will be taking a group of young agricultural professionals to Washington, D.C. Sept. 12-14.
Read MoreRichard Maxwell traveled to Washington, D.C. with 70 other county Farm Bureau presidents March 7-9 to express their concerns about many topics including the 2023 farm bill.
Read MoreXylazine, an important FDA approved prescription animal drug that is widely used in veterinary medicine, is getting the attention of regulators at the state and federal levels.
Read MoreBack Ohio dairy farmers by asking your member of Congress to support the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau is encouraging members to share how rural broadband investment has impacted their homes and businesses, and where more work can be done to advance access to rural broadband.
Read MoreIn addition to the testimony in support of HB 64, Ohio Farm Bureau is asking members to contact their state representative to voice their support for eminent domain reform.
Read MoreSoil and water tests are being developed and conducted, site run-off monitoring is taking place, and livestock have shown no signs of illness or lingering effects from the aftermath of the derailment itself or the chemical burn-off that followed.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau’s farmer leaders will be in the nation’s capital March. 7-9, 2023 for the annual County Presidents Trip to Washington, D.C.
Read More