The Constitution Party of Ohio is the Ohio political party affiliate of the national Constitution Party. The group is headquartered in Eaton, Ohio.[1]
Note: This party was previously ballot-qualified in Ohio. As of March 8, 2022, it is no longer ballot-qualified. The content here reflects the most current information as of March 8, 2022.
Background
The Constitution Party of Ohio was organized in early 2007. Later that year, the party gained ballot access as a minor political party in Ohio.[2]
Robert M. Owens, former Constitution Party of Ohio chairman, earned 245,611 votes as an independent candidate in the 2008 race for attorney general of Ohio, the highest number of votes for a minor-party candidate in the state's history. In 2010, Owens ran for attorney general of Ohio as the Constitution Party candidate and earned 130,065 votes. Constitution Party candidate Jim Condit Jr. earned 5.4 percent of the vote in the 2014 race for Ohio's 8th Congressional District.[2][3][4]
Platform
The party's stated platform is composed of seven principles and 36 main issues:[5]
Seven principles
- Life
For all human beings, from conception to natural death.
- Liberty
Freedom of conscience and actions for the self-governed individual.
- Family
One husband and one wife with their children as divinely instituted.
- Property
Each individual's right to own and steward personal property without government burden.
- Constitution and Bill of Rights
Interpreted according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers.
- States' rights
Everything not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the federal government is reserved for the state and local jurisdictions.
- American sovereignty
American government committed to the protection of the borders, trade, and common defense of Americans, and not entangled in foreign alliance.
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| Platform of the Constitution Party of Ohio
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- Sanctity of life
"We affirm the God-given legal personhood of all unborn human beings, without exception."
- Federal government limitations
"We pledge to be faithful to this constitutional requirement and to work methodically to encourage the state of Ohio and its legislature to demand its State’s rights that will restore to the people their rightful control over legislative, judicial, executive, and regulatory functions which are not Constitutionally delegated to the federal government."
- Character and moral conduct
"It is imperative that the members and nominated candidates at any level representing the Constitution Party of Ohio and its state affiliates recognize the importance of demonstrating good moral character in their own lives as well as within their campaigns for office and the fulfilling of their elective duties."
- Congressional reform
"If we are to see a return to the states those powers, programs, and sources of revenue that the federal government has unconstitutionally taken away, then it is also vital that we repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return to state legislatures the function of electing the U.S. Senate."
- Conscription
"The Constitution Party of Ohio is concerned regarding the use of troops via the draft, or forced conscription, even in the service of the United States with respect to defending our nation against our enemies, foreign and domestic."
- Constitutional convention
"We oppose any attempt by the Ohio State Legislature to demand a call or in any manner agree to call for a Federal Constitutional convention, for any purpose whatsoever, because it cannot be limited to any single issue, and such convention could seriously erode our Constitutionally protected unalienable rights."
- Copyrights and patents
"We oppose the unconstitutional transfer of authority over copyright and patent policy from Congress to other agencies, domestic or foreign."
- Cost of big government
"Only those duties, functions, and programs specifically assigned to the federal government by the Constitution should be funded."
- Crime
"Crime, in most cases, is to be dealt with by state and local governments."
- Defense
"The Constitution Party of Ohio opposes unilateral disarmament and dismemberment of America's defense infrastructure."
- Domestic federal aid
"Domestic federal "aid" not authorized by the Constitution is not only illegal, it is immoral."
- Drug abuse
"The Constitution Party of Ohio will uphold the right of states and localities to restrict access to drugs and to enforce such restrictions."
- Education
"The Constitution of the United States grants the Federal Government no authority over Education, the 10th Amendment applies: 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'"
- Election reform
"The Constitution Party of Ohio seeks the restoration of an electoral process which is controlled at the state and local level and is beyond manipulation by federal judges and bureaucrats."
- Electoral college
"The Constitution Party of Ohio encourages states to eliminate the "general ticket" system and return to the procedure intended by the Framers."
- Energy
"We call attention to the continuing need of these United States for a sufficient supply of energy for national security and for the immediate adoption of a policy of free market solutions to achieve energy independence for these United States."
- Environment
"We call upon the State of Ohio and its governments to reject all attempts at regulating what is termed “carbon footprints” and be restrained from engaging in any form of carbon trades or purchasing of carbon credits."
- Executive orders
"We call upon the State of Ohio and its legislative bodies along with its Federal Congressional Legislators and Senators to oppose the use of Presidential executive orders that make law or otherwise usurp the Constitutional authority and responsibilities of the legislative and judicial branches."
- Family
"We affirm the value of the father and the mother in the home, and we oppose efforts to legalize adoption of children by homosexual singles or couples."
- Unconstitutional, undeclared wars
" The Constitution Party of Ohio is opposed to the continuation of the same interventionist policy, with that policy's capacity to involve our country in repeated wars."
- Gambling
"Gambling promotes an increase in crime, destruction of family values, and a decline in the moral fiber of our country."
- Government/private partnership
"The Constitution Party of Ohio is opposed to public-private partnerships and is for a return to the true "free enterprise" system that once made our nation great and economically prosperous."
- Gun control
"The Constitution Party of Ohio upholds the right and responsibility of its citizens to keep and bear arms."
- Healthcare and government
"The Constitution Party of Ohio opposes the governmentalization and bureaucratization of American medicine."
- Immigration
"We affirm the integrity of the international borders of these United States and the Constitutional authority and duty of the federal government to guard and to protect those borders, including the regulation of the numbers and of the qualifications of immigrants into the country."
- Judiciary
Pending discussion at the State Convention.
- Money and banking
"The Constitution Party of Ohio endorses a substantive reform of the system of Federal taxation."
- Personal and private property security
"We affirm the Fourth Amendment right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, including arbitrary or de facto registration, general and unwarranted electronic surveillance, national and/or private computer databases, and national identification cards."
- Pornography
"We call on our local, state and federal governments to uphold our cherished First Amendment right to free speech by vigorously enforcing our laws against obscenity to maintain a degree of separation between that which is truly speech and that which only seeks to distort and destroy."
- Religious freedom
"We call upon all branches of the Ohio State government to uphold the religious liberties of the people regardless of the forum in which these liberties are exercised."
- State sovereignty
"The Constitution delegated few, enumerated powers to the Federal Government, reserving all remaining powers to the States and the people."
- Taxes
"We propose to replace, with a tariff based revenue system supplemented by excise taxes, the current tax system of the U.S. government (including income taxes, payroll taxes, and estate taxes)."
- Terrorism and personal liberty
"We deplore and vigorously oppose legislation and executive action that deprive the people of their rights secured under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments under the guise of 'combating terrorism' or 'protecting national security.'"
- Veterans
"The Constitution Party of Ohio appreciates the contributions of our servicemen and veterans to the preservation of American freedom."
- Wage and price control
"We deny that civil government has the authority to set wages and prices; so doing is inconsistent with principles of individual liberty and the free market."
- Welfare
"The Constitution Party of Ohio calls upon the State and local governments to promote caring for the welfare of those in need. At the same time, the governments should encourage this activity and responsibility take place at the lowest level of society and government beginning with individuals, families, churches, civic groups and other private organizations, encouraging them to fulfill their personal responsibility to help those in need without a reliance on government."
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Rules and bylaws
- See also: Rules of the Ohio Constituion Party
The state party is governed by a set of rules and bylaws. Typically, these give structure to the different levels of organization—local, county, and state committees—and establish protocol for electing committee members. The bylaws also typically give details on the party's process for nominating and sending delegates to the national party convention during presidential elections. The following is a summary of the Ohio Constitution Party's rules. This summary focuses on the structure and governance of the party:[6]
- The Executive Committee is made up of the chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, assistant treasurer and immediate past officers in good standing.
- The State Committee is made up of the Executive Committee as well as at-large members, regional coordinators, vice coordinators and county chairmen.
- The State Committee is the governing body of the party and is required to hold at least two meetings per year.
Convention
As of January 2016, the date of the 2016 convention of the Constitution Party of Ohio, when the party selects its delegates to the Constitution Party National Convention, had yet to be determined.
Leadership
As of January 2016, the Ohio Constitution Party did not have an executive director.
The website for the Ohio Constitution Party lists the following state leadership:[7]
- Don Shrader, Chairman
- Don Sheen, Vice chairman
- Gale Joy, Secretary
- Bob Wetter, Treasurer
- Rick Shrader, Assistant treasurer
- Daniel Barbour, Legislative liaison
- Gale Palmer, Webmaster
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Ohio Constitution Party'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- ↑ Constitution Party of Ohio, "About," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Constitution Party of Ohio, "A brief history of the Constitution Party of Ohio," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio Attorney General - Unexpired Term Ending January 9, 2011: November 4, 2008," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Constitution Party, "Ohio 2014 candidates and election results," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Constitution Party of Ohio, "Platform," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Constitution Party of Ohio, "Bylaws," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ Constitution Party of Ohio, "Contact," accessed January 25, 2016
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