Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights

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Ohio residents delivered a decisive rejection on Tuesday to a GOP-endorsed proposal that would have made it more challenging to protect abortion rights by amending the state’s constitution. This move keeps the existing simple majority rule for future constitutional amendments intact, rather than raising it to a 60% supermajority, as was proposed.

Though abortion itself was not explicitly mentioned in the special election, the outcome is viewed as another blow to Republicans in Ohio, a traditionally conservative state, who are in favor of enforcing rigorous limitations on abortion. The GOP’s intent behind the summer ballot question was to thwart an upcoming citizens’ initiative in November that aims to secure abortion rights in Ohio.

Spokesperson Dennis Willard, representing the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, characterized Issue 1 as a “deceptive power grab” designed to undermine the influence of Ohio voters. He celebrated the result as a significant triumph for democracy in the state, asserting, “The majority still rules in Ohio.”

Anti-abortion rights group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed dismay at the outcome, criticizing the external funding that supported the opposition, although both sides used national groups and individuals in their campaigns.

In other states, including conservative ones like Kansas and Kentucky, voters have upheld abortion rights since last year’s Supreme Court ruling. Interest in Ohio’s special election was particularly robust, with nearly 700,000 early in-person and mail ballots cast, more than twice the usual number for a primary election.

The opposition campaign, One Person One Vote, boasted a diverse, bipartisan alliance of supporters, including voting rights, labor, faith, and community groups. The state’s existing simple majority rule since 1912 benefits Ohioans for Reproductive Rights, the group spearheading November’s abortion rights amendment.

Despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, voters in various states have supported ballot questions to safeguard access to abortion, usually with less than 60% support. A poll last year revealed that 59% of Ohio voters think abortion should generally be legal.

The result, coming in an August special election that was previously criticized by some Republicans as undemocratic, underscores a rare rebuff for Ohio’s GOP, which has maintained control over the state government for over a decade.

Ohio Right to Life, the principal anti-abortion group in the state and a significant advocate for the special election measure, pledged to keep battling in the autumn.

The rejection of the proposal by the voters is seen as a complex reflection of the attitudes and dynamics around abortion rights, both in Ohio and across the nation, with implications that could extend beyond the state’s borders.

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• Ohio’s special election results
• Ohio Right to Life’s official statement
• One Person One Vote campaign information
• Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion rights
• AP’s democracy initiative