Proposed Ohio a constitutional amendment that would end qualified immunity that protects government workers like police officers from lawsuits could start collecting signatures to get on next year’s November election.
The Ohio Board of Elections took the proposed amendment a step further, ruling during Wednesday’s meeting that the amendment included only one issue.
“We are pleased with the Electoral Commission’s determination that this is one issue and it can proceed to the signature collection phase“, Executive Director of Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity Kyle Pierce said after the game.
The To get on the November ballot, the Coalition to End Qualified Immunity in Ohio will need to collect approximately 420,000 signatures by the first week of July 2025. The signatures will then need to be verified.
The signature collection process has recently been an obstacle to some proposed constitutional changes. One Fair Wage tried to get a constitutional amendment on last year’s ballot, but failed to collect enough signatures.
Qualified immunity is a legal shield created by the U.S. Supreme Court that protects government officials, such as police officers and teachers, from lawsuits if they are accused of violating someone’s rights while on duty. Although this judicial doctrine has been around for some time, in recent years it has been used to protect police officers in cases involving excessive force.
The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunities the amendment was originally filed in 2022, but the state’s attorney general rejected several versions of the amendment. Their latest proposal uploaded in July had no title i Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost initially rejected it, but the Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled that Yost could not reject the Ohio Voter Bill of Rights based solely on its title, so Yost went back and approved qualified change of immunity continue working with the electoral commission.
“Every element of this amendment achieves the goal of this one question: holding our government accountable when it violates your constitutional rights.” Pierce said in his testimony before the board of elections. “If you have immunities, you can’t hold your government accountable. If you can’t get compensation, you can hold your government accountable. If nothing changes, you will not hold your government accountable.”
If this constitutional amendment were on the November ballot and voters approved it, Ohio would be the first state in the nation to eliminate qualified immunity by a popular vote.
Colorado, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico have all banned police officers from using qualified immunity to defend themselves in state court. Institute of Justice.
William Morgan
Member of the Ohio Board of Elections William N. Morgan died on November 30. He was 89 years elderly.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose swore in fresh member Steven Cuckler during Wednesday’s meeting. Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, recommended Cuckler to the board.
Cuckler is an attorney who currently serves as vice president of legal affairs and development for Schottenstein Real Estate Group, according to his LinkedIn profileand it is Republican member of the Delaware County Board of Elections.
Morgan’s term as a member of the Board of Elections expires on February 1.
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