Buckeye Reporter

The Ohio Sportsmen's Alliance endorsed an August 8 ballot initiative to make it harder to change the Ohio state constitution.

"Everyone who cares about protecting our outdoor heritage against the animal extremists needs to vote YES on this ballot measure and convince everyone you know to do the same," the group said in a press statement. 

"In modern America, anti-hunters have billions of dollars at their disposal, so what Issue 1 is really about is protecting the Ohio Constitution against radical out-of-staters and their extremist ideologies," said the group. "They want to come to Ohio, buy ballot victories and stuff their ideology down your throat. We must stop them."

The ballot initiative, Issue 1, would require petition-based statewide constitutional amendments to pass with 60 percent of the vote, not simple majorities. 

Including Ohio, currently 15 U.S. states allow for statewide initiatives to change their constitutions, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota. 

In Oregon, where only 50% is required for statewide initiatives, a ballot measure passed last year that banned magazines with more than a 10-round capacity and required permitting to purchase and transfer firearms. That measure passed with 50.65% of the vote and a margin of fewer than 25,000 votes of two million total votes cast. That law is on hold pending a number of legal challenges over the measure's constitutionality. 

Currently, only Illinois, Arizona and Florida have 60 percent vote thresholds; Colorado's is 55 percent.

The Sportsmen's Alliance was formed in the late 1970s to oppose a proposed ballot initiative that would've banned trapping in Ohio. After that measure was defeated, the organization expanded and now has a presence in all fifty states. 

The Sportsmen's Alliance joins U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-Ohio) in backing the initiative.

Vance endorsed Issue 1 in a new online video, reported Buckeye Reporter, saying that, "radical activists want to change the Ohio Constitution and strip away parental rights on August 8th."

Issue 1 is opposed by "environmental" groups that include Action for the Climate Emergency and Sierra Club Ohio.

Buckeye Reporter previously reported that, "a roster of left-leaning advocacy groups" has come out against Issue 1. These groups include Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Black Lives Matter Dayton, Pro-Choice Ohio, Black Out and Proud, the Cleveland Bi+ Network, Columbus New Liberals, Democrat Socialists of America-Cleveland, Ensuring Parole for Incarcerated Citizens, New Voices for Reproductive Justice and the Ohio Federation of Teachers. This month, the Ohio Communist Party and Ohio Citizen action both enlisted drag queens to help support the "Vote No" campaign.