We Are Ohio Collects Over 714K Signatures for Citizens' Veto
by Kyle Weidleman | June 17, 2011
On Friday morning, We Are Ohio announced that the campaign has collected 714,137 petition signatures to get the Citizens' Veto of Senate Bill 5 on the November ballot, easily surpassing the grassroots group's initial goal of 400,000 to 500,000 signatures, with nearly two weeks to go until the deadline for submission.
The total collected so far is more than triple the number of signatures needed to qualify for the state ballot. If passed by a majority of Ohio voters, the Citizens' Veto would overturn the anti-worker provisions of SB 5.
Although Gov. John Kasich (R) and the Ohio legislature ignored the will of the voters and passed the union-busting bill, the people will not let this injustice stand. “We stood at the Statehouse today where thousands of hardworking Ohioans stood earlier this year protesting SB 5. While their voices were drowned out by the extreme politicians who decided to pass SB 5, today We Are Ohio wants thank our volunteers and let them know their voices will be heard,” said campaign spokesperson Melissa Fazekas.
We Are Ohio is leading a true grassroots movement of average Ohioans who believe in the right to collectively bargain. Gov. Kasich, Senate President Tom Niehaus (R) and House Speaker William G. Batchelder (R) will head up an astroturf campaign to defend SB 5, but AFSCME members and our allies have already proven that they will not be steamrolled by the governor and his corporate-backed allies in the legislature.
Watch video from today's announcement press conference on the Statehouse steps in Columbus:
