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Effort To Put Vaccine Mandate Ban On The Ohio Ballot Hits A Snag

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Ohio State House on Tuesday, August 24 in support of a bill that would ban mandatory vaccines in the state.
Jo Ingles
/
Ohio Public Radio
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Ohio State House on Tuesday, August 24 in support of a bill that would ban mandatory vaccines in the state.

Ohio’s Attorney General has rejected the petition summary that was submitted by people who want to require state lawmakers, or possibly voters, to end vaccine mandates.
Republican Attorney General Dave Yost said the problem is the summary for the petition being circulated to get signatures. Yost said it isn’t a fair and truthful representation because it fails to identify some terms, lacks some information, and doesn’t fully explain exceptions, so signers do not have adequate information about the statute’s character and limitations.

Backers of the petition said they aren’t taking no for an answer. One of them, Stephanie Stock with the group, Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, said the petition will be amended and resubmitted for approval.

She said Ohioans deserve medical freedom and her group will take it to the ballot if the legislature won’t pass the initiated statute. Ohio lawmakers have four months to pass the bill and if they don't, backers can collect more signatures to put the issue on the November 2022 statewide ballot.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.