(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



After losing in Ohio, the GOP's war on direct democracy is floundering nationwide [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2023-08-09  

The Republican campaign to subvert direct democracy in Ohio crashed in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, when voters soundly defeated a ballot measure that would have made it harder for voters to pass future amendments to the state constitution. Most immediately, the result clears the way for Ohio voters to restore abortion rights in November and potentially end GOP gerrymandering next year. But it's also the latest in a string of failed GOP efforts across the country to restrict the rights of voters to enact progressive policies and democracy reforms at the ballot box—though the battle is by no means over.

Earlier this year, Daily Kos Elections cataloged more than a dozen Republican proposals that would have curtailed the ballot initiative process in 10 different states. With state lawmakers concluding their work for the year in each of these states, and the vote on Ohio's Issue 1 now in the rearview, we're taking stock of where all these plans stand.

The good news is that most of these schemes failed to move forward, as you'll see in our roundup below—and the only one that actually became law faces a serious legal challenge in Arkansas.

However, voters in both Arizona and North Dakota will see GOP-backed amendments on their ballots in November of next year that would, much like Issue 1, make it more difficult for citizens to amend their state constitutions.

But as the outcome in Ohio suggests, voters typically do not appreciate attempts to limit their rights: In recent years, they also rejected similar efforts to require supermajorities for passage in Arkansas and South Dakota. The GOP's only successes came with a pair of much narrower proposals in Arizona last year.

Republicans could also revive other efforts that ran aground this year, particularly an amendment in Missouri that would mandate 57% support for passage instead of the current simple majority. And even right after their defeat in Ohio, a top Republican lawmaker said his party would likely try again someday. But for now, at least, the GOP's war on direct democracy is floundering.

Below we've detailed this year's developments on proposals that at least made it past the committee stage, state by state. You can click each state's name to access our previous story to find further background on each of the GOP's efforts, as well as the progressive policies and democracy reforms that each state's voters had passed in recent years.

ON THE BALLOT: Constitutional amendment to substantially raise the number of voter signatures required to put measures on the ballot . Republican lawmakers passed this amendment in June , meaning it will go before voters in November of next year. However, that also means Arizonans will have the chance to reject it, as Ohioans just did with Issue 1. . Republican lawmakers, meaning it will go before voters in November of next year. However, that also means Arizonans will have the chance to reject it, as Ohioans just did with Issue 1.

DEAD FOR NOW: Constitutional amendment to require a 60% supermajority of voters to pass all future amendments. Republicans had also sought to put this amendment on the 2024 ballot, but it only passed the Senate; the House did not take it up. However, Republicans could try again in a future session of the legislature.

UPHELD: Ban on paying petition-collectors on a per-signature basis. The Arizona Supreme Court, which is dominated by conservative hardliners, The Arizona Supreme Court, which is dominated by conservative hardliners, recently upheld a law Republicans passed in 2017 that instead requires campaigns to pay petition-collectors by the hour, making the process much more expensive

ENACTED: Statute to require voter signatures from 50 of 75 counties instead of just 15 to put measures on the ballot. Republicans passed this law as a statute in March, meaning it took effect without needing voter approval. However, opponents promptly filed a lawsuit after voters rejected the GOP's previous attempt to institute a similar change as a constitutional amendment in 2020.

DEAD FOR NOW: Constitutional amendment to require a 66.67% supermajority to pass future constitutional amendments instead of the current 60%. Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the November 2024 ballot. It passed in the House but Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the November 2024 ballot. It passed in the House but failed to advance out of committee in the Senate.

DEAD FOR NOW: Constitutional amendment to require voter signatures from every legislative district instead of the current majority of districts to put measures on the ballot. Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the 2024 ballot after the state Supreme Court struck down a previous attempt to enact it as a statute. It passed in the Senate but Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the 2024 ballot after the state Supreme Court struck down a previous attempt to enact it as a statute. It passed in the Senate but failed in the House after Republicans failed to garner the required two-thirds supermajority.

DEAD FOR NOW: The ballot initiative process itself. After the state Supreme Court struck down Mississippi's entire ballot initiative process in 2021, Republicans tried to put a constitutional amendment on the 2023 ballot that would have revived it in a form so restrictive that it would have been practically worthless. However, Republicans failed to pass even that measure as both the Senate and House adopted different versions and did not reach agreement on a single one.

DEAD FOR NOW: Constitutional amendment to require a 57% supermajority of voters to pass all future amendments. Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the ballot sometime before a potential November 2024 vote on abortion rights. The House and Senate each initially passed different versions, but a GOP senator's filibuster over unrelated issues Republicans had tried to put this amendment on the ballot sometime before a potential November 2024 vote on abortion rights. The House and Senate each initially passed different versions, but a GOP senator's filibuster over unrelated issues blocked the upper chamber from passing a final version before time ran out. However, Republicans appear likely to try again in 2024.

FAILED TO ADVANCE: Constitutional amendment to require initiated amendments to pass in a majority of legislative districts in addition to statewide. Republicans passed this amendment in a House committee, but it failed to advance further.

FAILED TO ADVANCE: Constitutional amendment to require initiatives to win the equivalent of a majority of registered voters, rather than a majority of votes cast. Republicans passed this amendment in a House committee, but it failed to advance further.

ON THE BALLOT: Constitutional amendment to require voter-initiated amendments to pass at both a primary and general election, adopt a single subject limitation, require more voter signatures, and restrict signature-gatherers. Republican lawmakers Republican lawmakers passed this amendment in April , meaning it will go before voters in November 2024.

REJECTED BY VOTERS: Constitutional amendment to require a 60% supermajority of voters to pass all future amendments, require voter signatures in every county, and eliminate the grace period for making up signature shortfalls. Republicans put this amendment on the August 2023 ballot so it could take effect in time for a November vote on an abortion rights ballot initiative, but voters Republicans put this amendment on the August 2023 ballot so it could take effect in time for a November vote on an abortion rights ballot initiative, but voters rejected it 57-43 , meaning the abortion measure needs only a simple majority to pass. Despite that wide defeat, Senate President Matt Huffman said his party would likely try again in a more favorable “atmosphere” for the GOP, though maybe not as soon as 2024.

DEAD FOR NOW: Bill to raise the cost of filing an initiative, increase the time to challenge it, and impose restrictions on signature verification. Republicans passed this bill in the Senate, but it failed to advance beyond committee in the House.

DEAD FOR NOW: Bill to require a 60% supermajority of voters to pass any future initiative raising taxes. Republicans passed it in the House, but it failed to advance to a vote before the full Senate.

This piece has been updated to include comments from Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman indicating Republicans will try to put Issue 1 before voters again.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/9/2184596/-After-losing-in-Ohio-the-GOP-s-war-on-direct-democracy-is-floundering-nationwide

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/