Washington, D.C. — Today, Ohio held a special election and voted on Issue 1, a ballot initiative on changing the threshold for approving constitutional amendments from 50 percent to 60 percent, which would have had major implications for the November 2023 ballot initiative to protect access to abortion. Election results show that voters have rejected the ballot initiative, keeping a simple majority as the threshold for adding a constitutional amendment. Maggie Jo Buchanan, senior director and senior legal fellow for the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
In states across the country the outcome is the same: Voters overwhelmingly support abortion rights. This Republican-led ballot initiative was an attempt to make it harder to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution. Voters’ swift rejection of this ballot initiative goes to show yet again how out of touch some policymakers are with their constituents. They are willing to try to silence voters’ voices if it means they get their extremist agenda. Voters see through their antics and will keep showing up at the ballot box to protect their rights, their freedom, and their basic dignity.
Related resource: “What To Know About Ohio’s Special Election and Abortion Access” by Becca Damante
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