Saying he wants to better secure the right to vote in the Ohio Constitution, Rep. Michael Stinziano is proposing a ballot issue that he says would establish that the right should be paramount above other administrative issues. The Columbus Democrat said he wanted to throw the idea out there as lawmakers begin preparations for the new General Assembly, which is likely to feature another debate over election law changes. Stinziano said 21 states have different right-to-vote issues in their constitutions. “It struck me as a little peculiar that Ohio isn’t one of those states,” he said.
The resolution adds to the Constitution: “Every elector has the right to vote in the exercise of political power.” At the end of the paragraph, it adds: “Nothing in this constitution shall be deemed to deny, diminish, or impair the rights of any elector qualified to vote in any election in this state.”
Later, he would do away with change current language that says if a person doesn’t vote at least once in four years, he is no longer a valid voter unless he registers again. Instead, Stinziano proposes language that says a person is disenfranchised if he votes more than once in an election.
The proposal also requires election results to be audited if the margin of victory is less than 1 percent. And finally, Stinziano would add some clarity and political correctness to the portion of the Constitution that indicates who is not allowed to vote, eliminating the current sentence: “No idiot, or insane person, shall be entitled to the privileges of an elector.”
Full Article: Columbus Democrat wants voting rights cemented in Constitution | Dispatch Politics.