ODPA Supports Issue 1

Vote ‘Yes’ on Issue 1 in tomorrow’s special election to:

• Give all 88 Ohio counties an opportunity to be a part of the petition process to weigh in on proposals to change the state’s constitution. (Currently, only 44 are needed.)
• Make the process of amending Ohio’s Constitution more fair and thoughtful by raising the threshold for approving constitutional amendments to 60%.
• Protect Ohio agriculture and the state’s food security by thwarting outside special interest groups from dictating how family farms in Ohio do business.

What is Issue 1?

Issue 1 is a ballot initiative asking Ohio voters to approve an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio on August 8th. It would strengthen the process for approving constitutional amendments by raising the threshold requirements for the necessary votes and signatures.

Ohio’s dairy community is vulnerable to activist groups who want to dictate how farmers care for their livestock. These activist groups often use state ballot initiatives to set unreasonable farming rules that sound appealing to the general public, with the ultimate goal of eliminating animal agriculture.

For example, the pork industry is currently dealing with California’s Prop 12 whereby citizens voted to establish unrealistic housing standards for raising pigs. These standards must now be met by Ohio pig farmers that want to market their pork in California. Now that the courts have upheld Prop 12, special interest groups have incentive to work state by state to create new anti-agriculture and anti-business regulations. Ohio is one of 19 states that allow for these direct citizen initiatives. The passage of this issue would protect Ohio agriculture and our state’s food security by having a more thoughtful approach to amending the constitution.