Shenanigans Going on with Ohio Ballot Measure Purportedly Aimed at Getting State to Assign Electoral College Votes to the Popular Vote Winner

John Koza, the force behind the National Popular Vote initiative writes:

Ohio news organizations have been trying to identify the mysterious backers of an initiative petition proposing an amendment to the Ohio Constitution requiring the Ohio legislature to guarantee the presidency to the candidate receiving the most popular votes nationwide.


After making public records requests attempting to identify the backers, The Cincinnati Enquirer concluded, “It’s not clear who’s pushing the initiative in Ohio.” The Columbus Dispatch said, “It is unclear who is behind the Ohio initiative.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, “It’s not clear which group is behind the proposal.” An Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman denied the party was behind it.  


What is definitely clear is who isn’t behind it – namely the National Popular Vote organization which wrote the National Popular Vote interstate compact in 2006 and has won enactment of the compact by 14 states possessing 184 electoral votes (just 86 short of the 270 needed to put the legislation into effect). Moreover, state Rep. David Leland, D-Columbus, the sponsor in Ohio of the actual National Popular Vote compact, has said he does not know who is behind the petition.  


Not only is the National Popular Vote organization not behind this mystery petition, there are three reasons why it is clear that this petition is not a bona fide effort to enact the compact, but, instead, an effort to use the compact’s widespread public support to facilitate passage in the legislature of something entirely different.  

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