Local and state leaders spoke about the importance of several upcoming elections during the Logan County Republican Spring Fling Monday evening, April 24, at the Fion Wine Room in Huntsville.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose spoke about Ohioans now being required to show an ID to be able to cast a ballot. Democrats are suing to stop the measure.
“Don’t let anyone tell you for a moment that Republicans want to suppress the vote. If that was my objective, I’m terrible at it because we’ve had record turnout in 2018, 2020, 2022 — off the charts. Ohioans showed up in big numbers in all of those years and Republicans did well.” LaRose continued, “We don’t want to suppress the vote, we want to make sure it’s honest and that’s why we’re putting common sense things in place, like showing an ID.”
LaRose also intimated that he may challenge longtime democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown in the next election for that Senate seat.
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman from Lima also discussed an effort to make it more difficult to change Ohio’s constitution because many special interest groups are taking advantage.
Currently, the General Assembly can put an amendment on the ballot if they have 60 percent support in the assembly, then the measure garners 51 percent of the vote.
Also, in Ohio, an amendment can pass if petitioners can gather signatures to put a measure on the ballot, then the measure garners 51 percent of the vote. Huffman said either way is a low bar to change the state constitution and the current General Assembly wants a measure on the ballot in August that would change the mark to 60 percent of the popular vote.
In addition to Huffman and LaRose, several state lawmakers and candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court, Bellefontaine City Council and the Municipal Court Judge race attended the event, along with local Republicans.
