COLUMBUS – A hotly-contested proposal to amend Ohio’s constitution may be spurring more interest than usual in an August special election.
Early voting for the Aug. 8 election began July 11 and, as of July 19, more than 155,000 Ohioans have cast ballots, according to data released by the office of Secretary of State Frank La Rose.
The proposed constitutional amendment is the only item on the statewide ballot. State Issue 1 elevates the standard to pass amendments to Ohio’s constitution to 60% of the popular vote from the current threshold of a simple majority.
With less than three weeks remaining until Election Day, county boards of elections have sent more than 167,000 absentee ballots to voters statewide, an approximately five-fold increase in voter activity over the August statewide primary election of 2022, LaRose’s office said.