Groups file federal lawsuit over fracking amendments

YOUNGSTOWN — Members of seven Ohio community groups — including Youngstown — filed a federal lawsuit against their county boards of elections and the Ohio secretary of state claiming their constitutional rights were violated over antifracking charter amendment issues.

The complaint alleges these officials have violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights of freedom of speech, right of assembly, right to petition the government for redress of grievances, right to vote, right of due process, and right of local, community self-government.

Besides Youngstown, community members from Toledo and Columbus as well as Portage, Medina, Athens and Meigs counties are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

All of the plaintiff communities have collected signatures to place initiatives on the ballot at some point between 2015 and 2018. All the communities were blocked from the ballot by the defendants. The complaint describes these actions as “placing unlawful blockades, insurmountable hurdles, and arbitrary and irrational procedures between the people of Ohio and their exercise and enjoyment of direct democracy.”

In Youngstown, the Mahoning County Board of Elections refused to certify an antifracking charter amendment from a citizens’ group to the May 2018 ballot. The Ohio Supreme Court overruled that decision and ordered the board to put it on the ballot.

The same group sought to put the charter amendment on the November 2018 ballot and the board of elections certified it.

An antifracking charter amendment has failed to be approved by city voters eight times going back to 2013. Supporters of the proposal have vowed to continue to put it on the ballot until it passes.