Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, speaks with reporters following a Feb. 23, 2022 meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission, of which he was a member.
Andrew J. Tobias | cleveland.com (TNS)
COLUMBUS—Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman on Thursday said it’s worth spending millions to hold an August special election to vote on a proposal to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution if it succeeds in stopping a proposed abortion-rights amendment in November.
“If we save 30,000 lives as a result of spending $20 million, I think that’s a great thing,” Huffman, a Lima Republican, told reporters. Huffman was referring to the number of abortions performed annually in Ohio — 21,813 in 2021, according to the state health department, more than 8,000 less than what Huffman said — and the anticipated cost of holding an August special election on a proposed amendment to require future constitutional changes to be passed with at least 60% support, rather than a simple majority of voters.
Huffman’s comments stand in contrast to those of the sponsor of the 60% resolution, state Rep. Brian Stewart, who told a legislative committee Wednesday that defeating the proposed abortion-rights amendment was not the motivating factor for the resolution. While the proposal has originated with Stewart in the House, Senators introduced their own resolution on Wednesday.
Huffman said he anticipates that the Senate will pass legislation by mid-to-late April to create an Aug. 8 special election for the 60% measure. That would give the House a couple weeks to pass it before a deadline of early May.
Huffman added that he would like to see the 60% measure pass quickly not only to forestall the proposed abortion-rights amendment, but for other ballot measures as well, such as a proposed initiated statute to legalize recreational marijuana in Ohio.
“I think it’s important with recreational marijuana looming, and with this abortion issue looming, that we set the ground rules for all of these things, and we do it sooner rather than later,” Huffman said.
Initiated statutes — which advance a proposed state law, not a constitutional amendment — are not affected by the current proposed change being debated in the Statehouse.
Huffman said he would support voting on the 60% proposal in August even if there weren’t potential measures on the horizon that he opposes.
“This was something that, I think, we’ve talked about a long time,” he said. The current effort to make it harder to amend the constitution first began after remarks Secretary of State Frank LaRose made last October.
Proponents of the abortion-rights amendment are currently working to gather the 400,000-plus voter signatures needed to place the measure on the Nov. 7 general-election ballot. The proposed amendment would grant every individual the right to make and carry out their own reproductive decisions – though abortion could still be prohibited after fetal viability, which is about 21 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy.
“It is shameful to see opponents of our voter-sponsored initiative urge their political allies in the legislature to set a costly taxpayer-financed election in August for the sole purpose of preventing Ohioans from voting to restore and protect reproductive freedom in our state,” said Dr. Lauren Beene, executive director of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, one of the backers of the abortion-rights amendment. “Their attempt to destroy a simple majority rule standard that has stood in Ohio for more than a century is undemocratic and fundamentally wrong.”
Just last year, Huffman joined other state lawmakers in voting to end automatic August elections on the grounds that they are expensive and usually have low voter turnout. But Huffman said Thursday that holding an August election on the 60% measure is different, as it would create a special election.
Unlike many August elections on things like school levies and liquor permits, when many Ohioans don’t even know there’s an election being held, Huffman said he anticipates turnout for a vote on the 60% proposal will be much higher.
“It’s something that a lot of people are going to be very fired up about,” he said.
