The Ohio General Assembly advanced Senate Joint Resolution 2 on Wednesday, which would raise the required threshold from 50 percent to 60 percent to enact a constitutional amendment. The senate concurred with the house’s amendments to the resolution.

The resolution would require a vote of at least 60 percent of electors to approve any constitutional amendment to the Ohio Constitution. Under Article XVI, Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio General Assembly can pass a joint resolution with a three-fifths vote in favor of the resolution from both houses, then filing with the Secretary of State and finally a submittal to the electors for approval or rejection. This joint resolution would take effect with only 50 percent of the elector vote under current Ohio law. A joint resolution does not require Governor Mike DeWine’s signature for passage.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio opposes the resolution, labelling it as “terribly unfair and undemocratic” and stated:

To be clear, we do not think effective arguments exist to be made for such sudden and radical changes. Ohio’s current ballot initiative process is burdensome and expensive. Should a campaign qualify for the ballot, the process becomes even more complex and expensive, with Ohio’s robust mix of urban, suburban, and rural audiences and locations, and local media markets spread across the state.

This is not the first change to Ohio election law this year. Earlier this year, DeWine signed a bill that requires photo ID for in-person voters.