Ohio lawmakers have rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made it more difficult to put amendments before voters. The amendment would have required petitioners to gather signatures from 5% of eligible voters in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, instead of the current 44. BBC News reported
If successfully enacted, there would have been a modification in the criteria for approving amendments, with the threshold being raised from 50% to 60%. Moreover, Issue 1 intended to introduce additional hurdles in the process of presenting amendments to the electorate, requiring petitioners to collect signatures from 5% of eligible voters in all of Ohio’s 88 counties, as opposed to the existing requirement of 44 counties..