Ohio voters reject ballot measure in favor of abortion rights advocates: GOP-led effort would have made it harder to change state constitution

Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it harder to change the state’s constitution, a move to prevent a November referendum from enshrining abortion access in state law.

Tuesday’s special election results were a crucial victory for abortion rights advocates, who would have faced the daunting prospect of securing a supermajority of voters this fall if the measure had passed.

The proposal, known as Issue 1, would have raised the threshold to push future changes to the state constitution to 60% of voters, up from 50% previously, and would have imposed tougher standards for obtaining such votes. measures on the ballot first. .

“I think that’s a question worth asking voters,” Ohio Senate Speaker Matt Huffman, a Republican who championed the ballot measure, told reporters after it became clear that this would not pass.

In a statement, Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens advised supporters to move past the results and focus instead on trying to defeat the abortion rights measure in November, saying, “Residents of Ohio have spoken.”

Deidra Reese, statewide program manager for the opposition Ohio Unity Coalition, celebrates losing No. 1 at a watch party Tuesday in Columbus

Dennis Willard, spokesman for the opposition One Person One Vote campaign, called Number 1 a “deceptive power grab” designed to diminish the influence of voters in the state.

“Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio,” Willard told a cheering crowd at the opposition campaign watch party. “The majority still rules in Ohio.”

President Joe Biden welcomed Tuesday’s result, issuing a statement saying, “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken the voice of voters and further erode women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions. “. The people of Ohio spoke loud and clear and tonight democracy won.

With more than 1.2 million votes counted, 60% of Ohioans voted no, compared to 40% who voted yes, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. That margin was enough for Decision Desk HQ and the Associated Press to call the race.

The election was the latest statewide battle over abortion more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a national procedural right.

Advocacy groups on both sides of the abortion issue spent millions of dollars ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Ballot initiatives have become powerful tools for abortion rights activists in states where abortion opponents, usually Republicans, control the legislature or hold the governorship.

Voters in Kansas and Kentucky, two staunchly conservative states, last year rejected ballot measures that would have said their states’ constitutions did not protect abortion rights.

Lawrence County residents line the halls to vote at Fairland High School in Proctorville, Ohio. Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure aimed at preventing a November referendum from enshrining abortion access into state law.

Voters come and go to the Beachwood Community Center in Beachwood, Ohio, on Tuesday to vote on No. 1 in the special election

Voters get their ballets as Lawrence County residents head to the polls to vote on Ohio’s No. 1 in a special election on Tuesday

On Tuesday, abortion rights groups in Arizona, a key presidential state, launched an effort to bring the issue to voters in November 2024.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a six-week abortion ban into law in 2019, which went into effect following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The ban was suspended in September after a legal challenge to abortion clinics; the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to decide the case.

Some groups opposed to the issue of Tuesday’s ballot had pointed out that the referendum went beyond abortion, arguing that it was simply undemocratic to curtail the power of citizens.

‘It’s much more important than a problem; it’s much more important than a party or an election,” said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio. “This is a freedom Ohioans have had for over a century.”

For example, good government groups are working on a 2024 ballot question that would change the constitution to prevent gerrymandering, the process by which a party manipulates district lines to entrench power. If Tuesday’s referendum had been successful, it would be much more difficult to get this question on the ballot.

Last year, Republicans in Ohio drew heavily partisan state legislative and congressional maps and defied court orders to reorganize them; The November elections were held on maps deemed unconstitutional.

Dennis Willard, spokesman for the opposition One Person One Vote campaign, called Number 1 a “deceptive power grab” designed to diminish the influence of voters in the state.

Stephanie Mattoni votes Tuesday on number 1 in Perrysburg, Ohio

An Elections Board volunteer waits to distribute ‘Ohio Voted’ stickers to voters after casting their ballots in an Ohio special election in Montville Township, Ohio on Tuesday

Opponents of abortion rights called the November referendum extreme, saying its vague language would allow minors to obtain abortions and gender-affirming surgery without parental consent.

Proponents note that the amendment makes no mention of gender-affirming treatment or parental consent.

Tuesday’s election drew millions of dollars in outside spending, including from so-called “dark money” groups that are not required to disclose their donors.

Illinois Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein has donated at least $4 million to the pro-Issue 1 campaign, campaign materials show.

Other groups supporting Tuesday’s referendum raised money from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and the Concord Fund, a conservative black money group.

The anti-Issue 1 side has won support from the Tides Foundation, a California-based social justice organization, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a black money liberal group.