By Alan Johnson
Friday, March 9, 2012 3:37pm
A proposed constitutional amendment to undo Ohio's 2004 same-sex marriage ban was rejected today by Attorney General Mike DeWine.
DeWine said he found three flaws in the proposal submitted last week by a coalition that supports same-sex marriage.
The attorney general said summary language of the proposal is “longer than the amendment itself.” He also cited two other shortcomings, including one regarding the question of whether political subdivisions could deny recognition of the “legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals.”
As a result, DeWine said he could not “certify the summary as a fair and truthful statement of the proposed constitutional amendment.”
The proposal would change the Ohio Constitution -- amended in 2004 to block same-sex marriage -- to say that the state and political jurisdictions define marriage as "a union of two consenting adults, regardless of gender." It also would stipulate that "no religious institution shall be required to perform or recognize a marriage."
Today’s action doesn’t stop the proposal, but supporters of the proposal will have to submit the language again.
The full text the letter and petition is online at:www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BallotInitiatives .
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