Husted instructs boards of elections to conduct second review of Drug Price Relief Act petitions
Lead Summary
By
Press Release-
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted returned petitions submitted on behalf of the initiated statue known as “The Drug Price Relief Act” to county boards of elections for a second review.
A statewide review of the petitions found a majority of petitions included potentially improper redaction of voters’ signatures. State law only allows a voters’ signature on a petition to be removed only by the voter or the circulator of the part petition, but there exists strong suspicion that a large number of part petitions were later modified outside of those boundaries.
There also exists an alarming discrepancy in the number of actual signatures on petitions when compared to the number circulators of the petitions reported to have witnessed.
“The process of initiating legal and constitutional changes by petition is a fundamental right reserved for Ohioans,” Secretary Husted said. “As election officials, it is our responsibility to safeguard this process so the people can be confident it was conducted fairly and honestly.”
Secretary Husted directed the boards of elections to complete their second review no later than Jan. 29.