Court upholds Ohio ballot initiative in-person procedures constitutional
“We are pleased the Court honored the state constitution’s in-person procedural protections for placing new initiatives on the ballot,” said NFIB Small Business Legal Center Executive Director Karen Harned. “As the Court noted, these protections are not burdensome and serve important interests for all Ohio voters by, among other things, protecting against fraud in the election process. This decision is a big relief to small business owners in the unprecedented time of COVID-19. Small businesses don’t have to worry about meritless and costly issues being randomly and hastily brought to the ballot this November.”
NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing that the laws applying to ballot initiatives are neutral in their application to all Ohioans and do not violate any person’s First Amendment rights.
NFIB filed the amicus brief with the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, and the Ohio Business Roundtable in support of the state of Ohio’s position.
The NFIB Small Business Legal Center protects the rights of small business owners in the nation’s courts. NFIB is currently active in more than 40 cases in federal and state courts across the country and in the U.S. Supreme Court.
