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ISSUE ONE
As voting day approaches, Ohio residents will get the chance to decide controversial issues that influence their everyday lives. Issue One involves
raising the upper age limit of those occupying judicial office from 70 to 75. This would give current members whose ages are in the upper sixties the chance to run for office once more.
The thought of raising the age of those occupying office seems like a smart and well-advised decision to some. People are opting to apply the old belief that wisdom comes with age when discussing the issue. With more years and life experiences under their belt, judges are assumed to make better decisions in regards to cases.
“As you age, you have more to base your opinions on. You view life’s obstacles with more clarity,” Julia Contizano, freshman education major, said, “To say you lose that after a certain age isn’t fair. That’s like saying teachers lose the ability to teach after a certain age.”
As is the case with almost any political issue, there is an opposing side as well as the supporters. Many people are concerned with what changing the age of those occupying office will do to the balance of power in the system.
The Ohio Democratic Party released a statement on their website about why they support a “no” vote on Issue One. It reads: “This extension would increase the length of service for individuals already entrenched on the bench. Moreover, State Issue One is likely to perpetuate a six-to-one Republican imbalance on the Ohio Supreme Court and similar imbalances on lower courts. A ‘No’ vote on Issue 1 will promote a fairer judicial system.”
At odds with the Democrats are a number of organizations and individuals who have endorsed a “yes” vote on Issue One. These supporters of the issue include but are not limited to: Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Ohio Courts of Appeal Judges Association, the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association, the Ohio Association of Domestic Relations Judges, the Ohio Association of Juvenile Court Judges, Ohio Association of Probate Judges, Association of Municipal/County Judges of Ohio, and the Ohio State Bar Association.
Twenty-two other states have age-restriction laws similar to Ohio’s limitation on judges serving past the age of 70.
ISSUE TWO
One of the most controversial issues gracing Ohio’s ballot on November 8 is Issue Two. The main premise of the issue is balancing budgets. If passed, government employees will be asked to pay 15% of their income toward their healthcare benefits and 10% toward their guaranteed pension for life. If Issue Two is voted down, it will repeal the much-discussed Senate Bill Five.
Senate Bill Five impacts state workers. If Issue Two is upheld, Senate Bill Five will cause Ohio’s large numbers of workers to lose the right to collectively bargain and their ability to strike. The bill would only permit public employees to collectively bargain for wages, not health care or pension. Striking would be prohibited and employees may be asked to contribute more towards pension and health care. It would also institute a merit-based pay scale for teachers.
What makes the issue a hot topic is the impact it will have on Ohio residents. Many are against passing the issue, but some have other, more positive, views.
“I agree with Issue Two because many private sector employees either have to pay hundreds of dollars more for their healthcare benefits or don’t have healthcare benefits at all,” Robert Knisley, freshman political science major, said, “Government employees have access to the best medical care available and only have to pay a fraction that most people in Ohio pay.”
Others believe that passing Issue Two and keeping Senate Bill Five in effect is an attack on the rights of middle-class workers. Public employees feel as though they are being blamed for all of the economy’s problems when they believe it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Issue 2 is unfair, unsafe and will hurt our local communities. It will hurt our local communities because it doesn’t create one job. Actually, between the budget and Senate Bill 5 it is estimated that Ohio will lose 51,000 jobs. As we move toward Election Day we are asking our supporters to vote, volunteer and finish the job we started when we collected 1.3 million signatures to place the citizen’s veto of Issue 2 on the ballot,” We Are Ohio spokeswoman Melissa Fazeka said.
ISSUE THREE
One subject that seems to have a constant presence on the ballot is health care. Issue Three is a response to President Barack Obama’s signing of a national health care mandate law in 2010.
The measure would exempt residents of Ohio from national health care mandates, which would stop any law from forcing one person, company or healthcare provider from participating in the health care system.
Many believe that the measure supports the freedoms and values that citizens were instilled with during the creation of this country. As a United States citizen, some would say, one should be given the right to manage their own decisions to manage their healthcare.
It is obvious that there is a very fine line between supporting the measure and voting against it. Senior leadership and business management major Josh Lyberg voiced his opinion on the issue.
“If the law allows residents to opt in to the program as well as opt out I would vote for it,” Lyberg said, “But the health care system is just so broken at this point I think everything being done just makes it worse.”
While there is local support, opposition finds the measure to be relatively pointless. There are arguments that it is futile to try countering national laws with an amendment to the Ohio constitution. Others think that the issue will not follow through with what it promises and might actually do more harm than good.
Spotlight on Bexley: Issue 24
Local issues are also taking an important spot on the ballot, namely Issue 24. Issue 24 requests a raise in Bexley’s income taxes from 2% to 2.5% as a part of a plan to deal with the rising city budget. Citizens of Bexley would be expected to pay more money so that city services can be provided and
expenses be paid.
“While it sucks for everyone, the .5% increase makes sense. The economy is doing poorly so it is reasonable if we still expect to receive the same level of services,” Lyberg said.
Many people think this measure is not fair to residents who work outside of the city. Such laborers will be hit twice by the issue; once by the income tax credit reduction that the issue calls for as well as the income tax increase. The tax would double if the resident lived in Bexley but worked outside city limits.
People who don’t support the issue believe that the city needs to find other ways of increasing revenue, instead of continually upping the cities taxes, requiring residents to open their wallets to help it make ends meet. Bexley already has some of the most expensive real-estate taxes in all of Ohio, and if this issue passes, the city’s income taxes will also be some of the most expensive in the state.
While residents aren’t completely opposed to helping their city, they refuse to permanently subject themselves to a raise in tax. Knowing that a referendum would be available on the May ballot, subjecting them to a temporary three-month raise in taxes, it seems citizens are opting towards the less-permanent change
