Former Provisions of the Constitution of the State of Ohio, 1851 Former Art. II, § 1

The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a general assembly consisting of a senate and house of representatives but the people reserve to themselves the power to propose to the general assembly laws and amendments to the constitution, and to adopt or reject the same at the polls on a referendum vote as hereinafter provided.  They also reserve the power to adopt or reject any law, section of any law or any item in any law appropriating money passed by the general assembly, except as hereinafter provided;  and independent of the general assembly to propose amendments to the constitution and to adopt or reject the same at the polls.  The limitations expressed in the constitution, on the power of the general assembly to enact laws, shall be deemed limitations on the power of the people to enact laws.

The people also reserve to themselves the legislative power of the referendum on the action of the general assembly ratifying any proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States.

No such ratification shall go into effect until ninety days after it shall have been adopted by the general assembly.  When a petition signed by six per centum of the electors of the state as is provided for a referendum petition on laws passed by the general assembly shall have been filed with the secretary of state within ninety days after said ratification by the general assembly, ordering that such ratification be submitted to the electors of the state for their approval or rejection, the secretary of state shall submit to the electors of the state for their approval or rejection said ratification in the manner provided for the submission by referendum of a law passed by the general assembly, and said action of the general assembly ratifying said amendment to the constitution of the United States shall not go into effect until and unless approved by a majority of those voting upon the same.  All the provisions of this article on the subject of the referendum upon laws passed by the general assembly shall apply hereto, so far as the same are applicable, except that the general assembly may not declare its ratification of a proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States as an emergency not subject to the referendum.