(The Center Square) – After Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected Issue 1 on Tuesday, the fight quickly turned to November, when a reproductive rights issue will be on the ballot.
Politicians and policy groups applauded the defeat – 57% to 43% – of the Republican-backed proposal that would have changed more than 100 years of history and required a 60% majority to amend the state’s constitution. After the defeat, amendments continue to need a simple majority to pass.
At the same time, their focus moved to the November general election and reproductive rights.
“This democratic victory means that Ohioans can continue to pursue reforms that the majority of voter support, such as ending gerrymandering by creating a bipartisan independent citizens’ redistricting commission, protecting reproductive rights, increasing the minimum wage, enacting common-sense gun reform, and fully legalizing marijuana,” said Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron.
Republicans blamed outside money for the defeat, despite a Ballotpedia report that said more than 80% of the contributions for and against Issue 1 came from out-of-state donors.
“This was a fight worth having and tonight we sent a message that we were close and will continue efforts to protect the Ohio Constitution from wealthy out-of-state special interests,” Senate President Matt Huffman said. “This was a heavy lift and we needed ‘all hands-on deck,’ which disappointingly we didn’t have. The opposition had twice the money coming from New York, California and D.C., and a head start. We really needed to turn out our base and needed more help doing that from current and former elected officials.”
A bipartisan group of four former governors – Republicans Bob Taft and John Kasich, along with Democrats Dick Celeste and Ted Strickland – all publicly voiced opposition to Issue 1. Six former state attorneys general – both Republican and Democrats – also voiced opposition.
More than 3 million Ohioans voted in the single-issue special election that cost taxpayers nearly $20 million and came after the GOP-dominated General Assembly passed a bill last year to eliminate all August special elections.
Turnout rivaled a November non-presidential election and was more than double the votes cast in the May primary.
“Issue 1 was a blatant power grab. Proponents attempted to change the rules of the constitution because they know their policy interests run counter to those of the majority of Ohioans,” Ohio Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert said. “Entrenched politicians and insiders are on the wrong side of the issues, from abortion care to fair districts.”
Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 and the push behind Issue 1 and the August special election, said there is an assault planned on the state’s constitution.
“Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution. Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough,” LaRose said. “The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a child’s life-altering medical procedure, force job-killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. I’ve said for months now that there’s an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn’t changed. I’m just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio’s values.”
