Gay marriage supporters on Monday
resubmitted a petition that seeks to repeal Ohio's gay marriage ban
after a first attempt was rejected.
The group Freedom to Marry Ohio filed a
new summary of the proposal along with more than 2,380 signatures to
Attorney General Mike DeWine's office.
On March 1, the group submitted nearly
1,800 signatures to DeWine, the first step in putting the issue back
on the ballot next fall.
DeWine said that petitioners had
submitted more than the required 1,000 valid signatures but he found
three defects with the summary language, including a summary which
was longer than the amendment itself.
He also noted that two provisions
stated in the summary were not addressed in the amendment.
Ian James of Freedom to Marry Ohio told
The
Gay People's Chronicle “[W]e expected the AG rejection and
drafted a revised summary petition. The issue of brevity, Title 31
and the individual recognition have been addressed.”
If DeWine approves the proposal, the
group can begin gathering the roughly 385,000 signatures needed to
put the item on the ballot.
Ohio's largest gay rights advocate,
Equality Ohio, has yet to endorse the effort.
(Related: Cleveland
hosts “illegal mass wedding” of 250 gay couples.)