Sometimes too much of a good thing can end up being not so good. We are afraid the recent trend of putting everything on the ballot for the people to decide is a "good" example of that.

For the past decade or so, the trend to ask the voters to make decisions when state legislators decline to act has continued to snowball. While we certainly defend the right of the people to decide on key issues, we fear that overloading the ballot only serves to confuse people and create a sense of apathy.

Some lobbyists may believe that issues have a good chance of passage simply because more than 60 percent of voters approved last year's gay marriage ban. However, that was a hot moral and religious issue. None of this year's plans are likely to generate the same level of passion.

State and local leaders must go the extra mile to make sure the issue they seek to be placed on the ballot cannot be addressed any other way. Right now, Ohio voters will have to decide on five ballot issues - four of which focus on election issues and the fifth that would provide $500 million for high-tech development and research.

Ironton voters will be faced with three more issues - the Ironton City Schools tax levy, the floodwall system tax levy and a $10 per month municipal fee. All will similarly hit voters in their pocketbooks but we hope voters look at each issue on its own merits.

The worst thing that could happen is that voters look at all the different questions and simply go down the line with eight 'No" marks.

Though we can never know for certain, it is likely that an overloaded ballot last year helped lead to the defeat of the floodwall levy, a mayoral salary decrease and an income tax increase. All three went down.

City and state leaders must do all they can to educate the voters about what they will see on Nov. 8, but knowledge can only go so far. At some point, voters may become fed up and just not approve anything on the ballot.

Before something is tossed on the ballot, legislators and leaders must do what they were elected to do and look at every other alternative. No matter how you spin it, eight wrongs don't make a right and eight "no's" don't make a "yes."