Out-of-state megadonor bankrolling Ohio measure to limit voter power

An out-of-state billionaire is bankrolling a deeply unpopular measure to limit the power of Ohio voters to decide on issues such as abortion, cannabis legalization and police accountability.

The proposed constitutional amendment faced bipartisan opposition as soon as it was introduced in January, but Wisconsin-based GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein has funneled $1.1 million through the recently formed Save Our Constitution PAC to run ads favoring the bill and funded smaller efforts to get it passed, reported The Intercept.

“It’s hard to come up with a better example of one individual — who, by the way, is of course not from Ohio and has no connection whatsoever to Ohio — using nothing but raw financial power to interrupt democracy,” said Eli Szenes-Strauss, political director at Public Wise. “It’s a broader project of enforcing political power for the hard-right-end of the Republican party.”

Ohio voters could decide on several ballot measures in November on abortion rights, legal weed and qualified immunity for police officers, but Uihlein and extremist Republicans are backing a separate measure in an August special election that would amend the state constitution to raise the threshold for citizen-led constitutional amendments from a simple majority to a 60-percent supermajority.

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“Call it the tyranny of the minority over the will of most Ohio voters on abortion rights, on fair legislative districts, on commonsense gun safety, on minimum-wage increases,” wrote Ohio Capital Journal columnist Marilou Johanek last week of the measure. "[Ohio secretary of state Frank] LaRose and the legislative extremists he’s partnered with openly admit their plan is to thwart a likely pro-choice amendment on the November ballot with a preemptive legislative amendment to obliterate majority rule."

Uielein was the primary funder behind the group that planned the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the Jan. 6 insurrection, and he and his wife gave more than $5 million to groups that tried to overturn Donald Trump's election loss, so he has a well-established track record of backing minority rule for Republicans.

“I’ll give them this, they’re very good at what they do,” said Szenes-Strauss. “If I worked for them, I’d be pleased with their progress. It’s just a rolling effort to find a place where your money can make sure that people don’t do with democracy things that you’d rather they not do.”