Progressive Push Or Reckless Leap? Ohio's Constitution Faces Showdown

This move comes in response to a failed attempt by Republicans to make it more difficult to alter the state's guiding document.

Following the rejection of a ballot measure that would have raised the threshold for amending the state constitution from 50% plus one vote to 60% of the vote, the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity swiftly submitted a petition to end qualified immunity for state workers, including the police. Qualified immunity provides state employees, such as police officers, with protection from most civil lawsuits.

According to the Toledo Blade, the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity describes qualified immunity as a "legal loophole that protects people like politicians and rogue officers from being sued for violating a person’s rights."

Republicans in Ohio were quick to express their concerns about the petition. Ohio's Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, who was a prominent supporter of the failed State Issue 1, took to X to voice his apprehensions. "I told you they're trying to turn Ohio into California," LaRose wrote. "Now they're coming after our police."

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August 12, 2023

LaRose further criticized the timing of the petition, stating, "We haven’t even certified the results of Tuesday’s election and the radical left has already filed paperwork to strip critical legal protections from law enforcement."

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Leading up to the special election, supporters of voting "Yes" on State Issue 1 had warned voters that progressives would attempt to bypass the legislature and amend the constitution on various issues, including abortion, parental rights, and law enforcement.

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Mehek Cooke, an Ohio attorney and Republican political consultant, expressed her concerns to Fox News Digital, stating, "The moral compass of our country is under attack by left-wing organizations, and what they're doing is they're bypassing state legislatures across America and there's a direct assault on state constitutions."

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Cooke argued that while there is a place for discussing qualified immunity in Ohio, that discussion should take place in the state legislature and not in the state constitution. She emphasized that the current efforts to eliminate qualified immunity are part of a larger offensive on issues such as parental rights, transgender surgeries for minors without consent, abortion rights, and gun rights.

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The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity has attempted to submit similar positions in the past, but their proposals were rejected by Ohio Republican Attorney General Dave Yost's office. Yost concluded that the summary language on the ballot was not clear enough in explaining what the amendment would do.

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The office of the Ohio Attorney General has until August 18th to approve the petition and initiate the signature gathering process. Mehek Cooke expressed her skepticism about the amendment, stating, "So I'm curious to see what's going to happen with this amendment, but this is just the start of turning Ohio into California, and there are many more amendments that are going to be filed to attack our moral compass."

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In response to the concerns raised by Republicans, the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity issued a statement to Fox News Digital. They stated, "We believe that the summary language of this iteration of the Protecting Ohioans' Constitutional Rights amendment is a fair and truthful representation of the amendment itself, as required by law for AG certification."

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The group emphasized that their goal is not to target law enforcement, but rather to ensure accountability, build trust, and create a just system for all residents of Ohio.

The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity added, "The attempt is not to turn Ohio into another state but to fulfill a basic American promise: a government accountable to the people."