Ohio victims' rights effort certified for fall ballot

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio's elections chief has certified for the fall ballot a proposed constitutional amendment giving crime victims and their families the same rights as the accused.

The office of Secretary of State Jon Husted said today proponents of the proposal had submitted more than 371,000 valid signatures, above the required number of about 305,000.

The proposal is dubbed Marsy's Law for Ohio. It would require that victims and their families be notified of all court proceedings, be allowed to tell their accounts of the crime and give victims input on plea deals.

The measure is named for a California woman stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. The accused was released on bail a week after her murder without her family being told.