Defiance voters back constitutional amendment

11/5/2013

DEFIANCE - By a 2-to-1 margin, Defiance city voters passed a citizen-led initiative that puts the city on record in support of a constitutional amendment that declares only humans, not corporations, are entitled to constitutional rights and that money is not equivalent to speech.

The initiative is in response to a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned some provisions of the federal Campaign Reform Act that was enacted in 2002, giving corporations and labor unions the same rights as individuals to unrestricted spending on political speech.

The tally was 1,807 vote in favor and 902 against, with the Defiance County Board of Elections stating that 100 percent of the votes had been counted.