OHIO ABORTION RIGHTS BALLOT INITIATIVE

 

“MAJORITY RULE — Abortion rights activists in Ohio have collected over 700,000 signatures — almost twice the required 413,466 — for a November ballot initiative that would codify the right to an abortion in the state constitution. If it passes this fall, Ohio’s constitution would add abortion rights that resemble protections under Roe.

“While it sounds straightforward enough, there’s a wrinkle: In an attempt to hinder these efforts, Republicans have responded with their own ballot measure that would require 60 percent of the vote for a constitutional amendment to pass — a notable increase from the current simple majority requirement. The timing here is key: Ohioans will vote on this measure in an Aug. 8 special election, and if it passes, the 60 percent threshold will apply to the November results.

“The proposed 60 percent requirement is no small matter. While abortion rights won in all six states that had abortion measures on the ballot in 2022, in four of those elections the majorities were under 60 percent.

“Republican state Rep. Brian Stewart, who first introduced the measure, has made it clear that abortion was a motivating factor in the attempt to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments. “After decades of Republicans’ work to make Ohio a pro-life state, the Left intends to write abortion on demand into Ohio’s Constitution,” the lawmaker wrote in a memo to his colleagues in December. “If they succeed, all the work accomplished by multiple Republican majorities will be undone, and we will return to 19,000+ babies being aborted each and every year.”

“There’s good reason to be worried about the prospect of a pro-abortion constitutional amendment passing in Ohio. In a recent survey, 58 percent of Ohio voters say they support enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. Even in deep-red Kansas, 59 percent of voters rejected a 2022 amendment that would have stripped constitutional rights to an abortion.

“A survey last week also showed that 57 percent of likely Ohio voters were opposed to the August ballot measure that would make it harder to change the constitution.

“The results for both the August and November election will likely come down to turnout since off-year elections (and especially those held in the summer) attract fewer voters and tend to stay under the radar. And already, voters are showing up in hoards. Over 155,000 voters have cast their ballot early — a five-fold increase in voter activity compared to the August statewide primary election of 2022, according to the secretary of state’s office. The message seems clear: Abortion will continue to be a driving force in 2024 elections.

“Ohio Democrats are counting on it, in the hopes of riding the momentum from this year’s abortion-focused elections to help them win high-stake 2024 congressional battles, including Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s reelection. Ohio is no longer viewed as a swing state after voting for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 but Democratic strategist Irene Lin, who helped collect signatures for the abortion-rights campaign, believes that a win for pro-abortion activists in both the August and November election could provide an important boost to the party’s prospects.

“I always think that we can’t give up on Ohio,” Lin said. “So it’ll definitely give us a shot in the arm and some hope. I don’t think Ohio is as red as everyone thinks we are from the outside.”

— Politico Nightly Blog, 7/26/23.