First off, Ohioans are largely not edgy and suspicious about an Article V Convention as Enquirer contributor Dan Sewell wrote in his July 14 column (“Push for ‘Convention of States’ makes some Ohioans feel edgy and suspicious”).
A 2024 Susquehanna poll revealed resounding support among Ohio voters for the Convention of States initiative to limit the federal government, with 76% of registered/likely voters expressing their endorsement. The survey further unveiled that majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents favor this constitutional mechanism. Over 60% of Republicans and Democrats said they would cross parties to vote for a candidate who supports the Convention of States.
What Ohioans are edgy about is an overreaching federal government, a $35 trillion national debt and illegal immigration. They’re suspicious of elected officials past their prime, no longer accountable to their constituents.
Sewell goes on to suggest “an unprecedented Convention of States might be a good idea if it were designed to preserve the democracy conceived by the Founding Fathers and to avoid the imperial presidency they were determined to stop.”