Posted on 07/26/2011 8:14:38 AM PDT by flutters
A proposal to abolish a key portion of the federal health-care law in Ohio has enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 8 ballot, the secretary of state's office says.
Secretary of State Jon Husted today certified 426,998 signatures for the constitutional amendment, which only required 385,245 valid signatures of registered Ohio voters, or 10 percent of the total vote cast for governor in 2010. Challenges have been threatened for many of the signatures, however, meaning the ballot battle may not be over.
The issue would take its place on a statewide ballot that already has two issues: a referendum on Senate Bill 5, the law slashing collective bargaining for public employees, and a proposal to increase the mandatory retirement age for judges. Opponents of the health-care law also collected signatures equal to 5 percent of the total vote cast for governor in 2010 from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. That requirement was met in 82 counties.
The Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment seeks to invalidate the federal health-care mandate that requires residents to buy health insurance. The measure was supported by the state Republican Party as a possible GOP counterweight to the Democrat-backed referendum on Senate Bill 5.
Even if Ohioans for Healthcare Freedom had fallen short in today's count, they have continued to circulate petition forms during the past few weeks to gather additional signatures, and would have had another 10 days to pad their total.
ProgressOhio, a liberal activist group, is independently reviewing the petition signatures. Brian Rothenberg, executive director of the group, said the group has found problems with about 20 percent of the petition forms it has reviewed. Any challenges to petitions must be filed by Aug. 15 for petitions turned in by the regular deadline.
The state Ballot Board will meet Aug. 3 to set language for the state issues.
Drafted by the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, the amendment would make it illegal for any local, state or federal law to require individuals to purchase health insurance. Advocates say the federal government overstepped its constitutional bounds when it passed the health-care law frequently called "Obamacare" by critics.
Some constitutional experts, though, have said the proposed amendment lacks real teeth because no state law, even a constitutional amendment, can override a federal law.
“A proposal to abolish a key portion of the federal health-care law in Ohio has enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 8 ballot, the secretary of state’s office says.”
Y E S !!!
Where are the petitions ? I havent seen anyone or anything in any part of Ohio to sign these petitions. I want to sign it and know lots of others who would sign it also ~!
Kick the commiecare to the curb and down into the gutter where it belongs.
We’re afraid the 0bama care benefits will be swapped for tattoos.
You can download a petition for circulation here
http://www.theohioproject.com/
All the details on turning it in are also on the site.
Let me guess. Challenges will go on until the day after the election.
YAY! Now we have to make the effort to let the welfare people know that Obamacare DOES NOT give them coverage.They will still only get a cut back medicaid becaause of ObamaCare
It is beyond the petitions stage as they were turned in about a month ago.It has now qualifed for the ballot.
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