Recently, Ohio Democrats and their allies collected about two thousand petition signatures to put a new law on the statewide ballot. There is some question whether that law, which authorizes new congressional districts, is subject to a referendum. Matt McClelland, a spokesman for Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, says it’s not.
"he secretary of state’s office did not accept the petition to the referendum on house bill 319 because the bill as passed by the general assembly and signed by the governor contained an appropriation which meant that the law took effect immediately – therefore, it is not subject to a referendum."
The head of Ohio’s Democratic Party isn’t surprised by Husted’s decision. Party Chief Chris Redfern says that was the decision he expected. He says this now paves the way for Democrats to take this issue to the Ohio Supreme Court. And he says if that court is consistent with an earlier ruling about this issue when it concerned slots at Ohio’s racetracks, the Republican dominated court will rule in the Democrat’s favor.
Redfern expects the Ohio Supreme Court will rule in the coming weeks. If it rules in favor of the Democrats, Redfern says his group will immediately begin the process of getting enough petition signatures to put the issue on the statewide ballot. If the state’s highest court rules against Democrats, Redfern says he will appeal the issue to a federal court, saying this map violates federal laws.