Source: Ballot Access News

According to this story, both Republicans and Democrats in the Ohio legislature may strike a deal, in which the proponents of the November 2012 election law referendum would voluntarily remove their referendum from the ballot. The 2011 omnibus election law bill, passed by Republican legislators over Democratic and labor union opposition, is currently set for a popular vote on whether to repeal it. Republicans believe the law probably will be repealed, so this year the Republican majority has been trying to repeal the law in the legislature so as to avoid a popular vote.

So far, Democrats have been insisting that the referendum should take place, but now it seems somewhat likely that both sides will agree to cancel the popular vote.

The 2011 omnibus election law bill contains many provisions that anger Democrats and labor unions. A part of the bill that gets overlooked by the media and most political observers is the part of the bill that attempted to create a constitutional ballot access law. The existing law was ruled unconstitutional in 2006 by the Sixth Circuit. The 2011 legislature attempted to write a new law that would pass constitutional muster, and it seems that new law is doomed, and Ohio will continue to have no constitutional ballot access law for minor parties in place.

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