Lawsuit filed to keep Reform Ohio Now amendments off the ballot

[OhioBlue]

I saw it in the local paper - an AP story. Couldn't find a link to the exact story, but this link http://www.licopac.org/ blogs about the suit.

- snip from AP article
A Republican statehouse veteran sued Thursday to keep the statewide ballot clear of three constitutional amendments to change elections and the drawing of legislative districts.

Richard Finan (R), a former Senate president and 29 year lawmaker, argued in the lawsuit in the Ohio Supreme Court the petitions being circulated to qualify the issue for the November election don't contain the full text of the proposed amendments b/c they don't show what parts of the current Ohio Constitution would be deleted...
--

The Reform Ohio Now petition has 3 parts
1. Reduce Ohio's recently adopted $10,000 limit on individual political contributions to $2000 for statewide candidates and $1000 for legislative candidates and ban corporate contributions and require full disclosure

2. Appoint a non-partisan board to oversee redistricting

3. appoint an independent board to oversee elections

Are they starting to fear that unless they totally abuse their power by gerrymandering and messing with elections and lose the ability to use their rich financial backers to buy their office they might lose control of the State?

[ClassWarrior]

1. They know they're losers. They only way they can "win" is by...

...lying, stealing, and dividing us.

NGU.

[napi21]

2. Does this have a chance at a decision before [rinting the 2006 ballots?

I know the election is a bit over a year away, but there's got to be a cut off when all ballot info has to be in for printing and yes, even programming the damn machines too. Because suits take so long to even be heard, do you think this one will be heard in time?

[OhioBlue]

4. This is an initiative petition for the '05

November ballot - not sure about the timing of the lawsuit. Deadline for signatures to be turned in is Aug. 10. According to the blog - it does put Blackwell in a pickle. As SOS he has to certify the signatures to put it on the ballot. If the lawsuit is successful, it would also disqualify his bogus TABOR initiative.

[mosin]

7. TEL amendment

Blackwell already announced today that he is pulling his TEL amendment for 2005. They will be submitting their signatures on August 11 to put it on the 2006 ballot.

[OhioBlue]

8. I saw that too.

link..

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS24/508090404

[wli]

3. yep, trying to rig the elections even more blatantly

[west5548]

5. They will do anything to prevent Ohio from moving forward

I found this article on www.growohio.org a grassroots website, who needs more people to sign up on the site, so any Ohioans out there or those in other states interested in signing up to support the grassroots effort here your help is much needed and appreciated. The following link says what it needs help with, we can win this battle and we will!!!!!!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/5/7540/75725

:D

[OhioBlue]

6. Thanks for the links

and welcome to DU

[newyawker99]

11. Hi west5548!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[BillORightsMan]

9. lawsuit rejected?

This evening I heard on WCPN 90.3 Cleveland Public Radio top-of-the-hour 6 PM newscast this lawsuit has been REJECTED by the Ohio Supreme Court. I can't find a link, but I'm sure that's what I heard.

watch & listen...

:patriot:

[BillORightsMan]

10. "Ohio Now" lawsuit dismissed!!!

Backers got another boost Tuesday when the state Supreme Court unanimously dismissed a lawsuit that sought to keep the proposals off the ballot. The suit had argued their wording was flawed.

See Ballot Issues Aim to Change Ohio Politics for the whole story!

:toast: