(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today certified the summary language submitted in a January 27, 2010 initiative petition for a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution.  That petition stated the amendment would “require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent the cruel and inhumane treatment of farm animals, enhance food safety, and strengthen Ohio family farms.”

The Attorney General’s explicit statutory duty is to determine whether the submitted summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed law or constitutional amendment.  If so, the Attorney General’s Office must certify and then forward the submitted petition to the Ohio Ballot Board for its approval.

The next step in the process is for the Ohio Ballot Board to determine whether the petition represents a single or multiple Constitutional amendments. If approved by the Ballot Board, the petitioners must then collect signatures from registered voters equal to ten percent (10%) of the total vote cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election. The petition must be filed with the Secretary of State no later than one-hundred twenty-five (125) days prior to the general election at which the proposed constitutional amendment is to be on the ballot.

To read the full text of today’s certification notification letter to the Ohio Ballot Board, please visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/FarmAmendmentLetter.
 

Media Contacts:

Holly Hollingsworth:  (614) 644-0508
cell:  (614) 353-7576
Kimberly Kowalski:  (614) 728-9692
cell:  (614) 893-6018