Group has the signatures to put 4 initiatives on ballot

The group wants to change the way districts are redrawn in Ohio.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Barring a successful legal challenge, it appears that Reform Ohio Now has gathered enough valid signatures to place four election-related initiatives before voters this November.
Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican, sent a letter to the group Tuesday saying that the group had gathered 353,094 valid signatures to get the four proposed constitutional amendments on the November ballot.
The group needed at least 322,899, which is 10 percent of the number of Ohioans who cast ballots in the 2002 gubernatorial election.
The group originally submitted more than 530,000 signatures in support of the initiatives, the secretary of state's office said.
In addition, Reform Ohio Now, which has ties to organized labor and other groups, has gathered signatures from 72 of Ohio's 88 counties, exceeding 5 percent of the last gubernatorial vote in each of those counties, the secretary of state's office said.
Reform Ohio Now needed to meet the 5 percent mark in at least 44 counties, the secretary of state's office said. Reform Ohio Now said the number of signatures validated proves the group has wide-ranging support across Ohio.
& quot;I think that's a good indication that we have support in nearly every corner of the state of Ohio, & quot; said Keary McCarthy, a Reform Ohio Now spokesman.
Purpose of amendments
Reform Ohio Now's proposed amendments would:
UCreate a five-member commission to draw what the group said would be competitive state and congressional districts.
UReduce individual campaign-contribution limits to $1,000 for a state legislative candidate and $2,000 for a statewide candidate.
UGive the secretary of state's elections duties to a nine-member state panel to oversee Ohio's voting system.
UAllow Ohio voters to vote early without specifying a reason.
Ohio First, a group that has ties to Republicans, has filed a lawsuit in the 10th District Court of Appeals to block acceptance of some of the group's petitions, saying that the secretary of state improperly told county election boards officials that petition circulators are not required to be state residents.
Oral arguments are scheduled in the case Thursday. Election Day is Nov. 8.