Save democacy, vote 'No'

How does democracy die? It dies by the erosion of majority rule. It's not a quick death. It's a slow burn until eventually it is gone, never to return. That's what is at stake with Ohio's Issue 1 Special Election for Special Interests. Much has already been written regarding the many reasons one should vote "No" on August 8th. In fact, now it seems to simply be a matter of convincing Ohioans why Issue 1 matters. It matters because if it were to pass, 41% of voters would decide the fate of 59% of Ohioans forever. Forever is a long time. While this measure seems to be a preemptive move to forestall a possible reproductive rights amendment that might be up for a vote in November, make no mistake that Issue 1 is clearly about ending majority rule. Democracies thrive with one person, one vote. Passage of Issue 1 would permanently end majority rule. Minoritarianism is the term used for political systems in which decision-making and legislative power are relegated to a minority population rather than the majority. We already have to deal with minoritarianism in many areas of our current branches of government from the Electoral College, which removes the popular vote from electing presidents, to the Supreme Court that rules without a code of ethics, to dominant minorities in Congress that push through fringe legislation instead of carrying out good, consensus decision-making. In all cases, however, vocal and powerful minorities exert their will on the majority, all without checks and balances. It's a false assumption to think that requiring 60% of a vote to pass citizen-initiated amendments demonstrates greater protection for Ohioans – it does the opposite. If more than a simple majority of 50% + 1 is required, control is taken from the majority and given to the minority. We in Ohio are already experiencing minoritarian bias from our partisan gerrymandering, which was ruled unconstitutional, yet still dominates. This is another example of the minority ruling the majority. Minoritarian regimes are anti-democratic. Fascism also flourishes when majoritarian democracies are suppressed, and people are flooded with anti-democracy rhetoric and propaganda. Don't fall prey and don't be fooled. Minoritarianism fuels polarization. We have a shared responsibility to defend democracy. Voting "No" on Issue 1 is a positive step in the right direction. Now is the time to vote. Before your vote never matters again. Judi Lindsley NathSandusky, Ohio