Lima Reporter

State Rep. Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie) of Ohio's 85th District endorsed Ballot Issue 1 and urged Ohioans to vote in favor of the measure on the Aug. 8 ballot.

Barhorst warned Ohioans that the rights of parents and gunowners in Ohio could be in jeopardy without the passage of the measure.

“The Ohio Constitution is the most unprotected and most vulnerable of all the 50 state constitutions in our great country,” Barhorst told the Lima Reporter on Wednesday. “The Ohio Constitution must be protected from out of state interest groups that spend millions of dollars to destroy our values. Vote YES on August 8th to protect our kids, Parent’s Rights, 2nd Amendment, and OUR Constitution.”

Ballot Issue 1 was placed on the August ballot due to the passage of House Resolution 1 last month, the Buckeye Reporter said.

GOP lawmakers state that voting in favor of Issue 1 would help strengthen Ohio's Constitution by raising the approval threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%, according to documents included in a Twitter post from Jessie Balmert. The measure would also require that signatures gathered in support of amendments include voters from all 88 of Ohio's counties. Additionally, it would restrict do-overs on signature submissions, giving special interests only one chance to properly obtain signatures for a proposed amendment.

In November of 2022, the State of Oregon passed Ballot Measure 114 by 1.3%, or fewer than 25,000 of the 2 million votes cast, Willamette Week reported.

Ballot Measure 114 banned magazines with more than a 10-round capacity and required permitting to purchase and transfer firearms, a 2022 National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action report said. Additionally, it required law enforcement to maintain a registry of gun owners personal information acquired during the permitting process. Under the measure, the data on firearms owners’ would be published annually.

While the measure passed, its enforcement is on hold while the courts hold hearings to determine the new law's constitutionality, according to a February Oregon Public Broadcasting report. Measure 114 faced immediate legal challenges, and four pending federal cases have consolidated into one being heard by U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut.

A May Buckeye Reporter article stated that "a roster of left-leaning advocacy groups" have come out against Issue 1. The groups include Black Lives Matter Dayton, Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Democrat Socialists of America-Cleveland, Black Out and Proud, the Cleveland Bi+ Network, Columbus New Liberals, Ensuring Parole for Incarcerated Citizens, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Pro-Choice Ohio and the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

The Communist Party of Ohio also reportedly joined the Vote No in August coalition and recently gathered to “stand with drag queens and families” during a protest outside a "Drag Story Hour" event at the Near West Side Theatre in Cleveland; according to a Cleveland Reporter release.

In a video message, the group Ohio Citizen Action also reportedly urged Ohioans to "celebrate Pride" by voting no on Issue 1, a separate Buckeye Reporter article said. The video reportedly featured multiple speakers including two drag queens.

Since 2000, there have been 16 petition-based constitutional amendments proposed in Ohio, a 2022 press release from the Ohio secretary of state’s office said. Five have passed and 11 have failed. Of the five that passed, three passed with 60% or more of the vote.