Radical progressives will never stop
One thing is certain. Radical progressives will never stop. They simply hate American exceptionalism, God-given liberty, and our free market economy. The time is now for this country to use every tool in its arsenal to continue its hard push against totalitarianism that will forever threaten this country. Of course, that includes a state amending convention under the authority of Article V.
One near-miss on behalf of radical progressives this election cycle was Ohio’s Issue One. Fortunately, this ballot initiative was handily defeated on Election Day, Convention of States grassroots sharing in the effort to defeat the measure. But its threat was unnerving, lurking in the shadow of the unfortunate passage in 2023 of Ohio’s Issues One and Two which guaranteed in Ohio’s state constitution the right to abortion and the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Tens of millions of dollars from outside the country and from radical progressive Washington D.C. think tanks invested in these ballot initiatives. With a vulnerable constitution and a penchant for leaning right, Ohio is in the sites of these hustlers.
An abatement of state sovereignty
This year’s Issue One ballot initiative forced Ohio citizens to pass judgement on a plan that pretended to thwart the gerrymandering of legislative and Congressional district lines. In reality, it represented a weakening of state sovereignty by removing any power of Ohio’s legislature over the process and turning it over to an exclusive citizen-led commission along with a blank check from the state of Ohio. This commission would have been accountable to no one. Not Ohioans, not the legislature, not the Ohio Supreme Court.
Furthermore, Ohio’s Issue One would have mandated the creation of voting districts that represent both major parties in equal proportion. Given the dense but few locations of Democrat voters in Ohio, district maps would have been drawn…er…gerrymandered…in vastly unusual ways to meet this criterion.
The result would have actually increased gerrymandering and caused the underrepresentation of constituents largely from blue areas of Ohio. A law similar to Ohio’s Issue One was passed in Michigan in 2018 as reported by Hunter Oswald in the September 24, 2024 issue of The American Spectator. Michigan's independent redistricting commission was actually sued for racial gerrymandering. The process has also proven to be chaotic, wrought with lawsuits, resignations, bullying, and shouting matches.
Ohio's Issue One was complicated even for the informed voter. Drawing legislative and Congressional voting districts is a process in which most citizens know absolutely nothing. To put such an issue on the ballot for citizens to discern was preposterous and dangerous.
Ohio’s complicated Issue One highlights the value of a representative republic versus direct democracy. Only with careful consideration through extensive hearings allowing arguments from both sides of the issue should a decision be made on this process. That’s exactly what state legislature is for. And that's why COS got involved in thwarting the passage of this insidious proposal.
We must promote state sovereignty
Make no mistake. Ohio's recent run on "Issues One" is progressive activism in disguise, the likes of which will not cease no matter the state or who is in the White House.
Convention of States will continue its fight to protect and promote state sovereignty. The organization is especially hopeful to accomplish this through the passage of amendments to the US Constitution that address:
- Fiscal responsibility in Washington,
- Term limits on Congress and federal officials, and
- Placing limits on the power and jurisdiction on the federal government.
There has never been a better time to hold a state amending convention. Learn more about the Convention of States effort and how we can restore the balance of power among the state, federal, and local governments: www.ConventionofStates.com.
