Ohio Voters Reject State Constitutional Change Proposed By GOP Legislature

A controversial proposal to change the Ohio Constitution put forth by the Republican-dominated legislature in Columbus went down in flames last night.

The proposal, colloquially known as “Issue 1,” was viewed as a test by some Republicans to determine the electorate's willingness to require ballot measures or constitutional amendments voted on by citizens to receive 60% of the vote instead of a simple majority.

With 98% of the vote reporting, Ohio voters have rejected the measure by a 57%-43% margin. While rural and exurban counties supported the resolution submitted by Republican lawmakers, the state's urban centers – including its GOP-leaning suburbs – thoroughly rejected it.

The Columbus Dispatch reports:

“Tonight, Ohioans claimed a victory over out-of-touch, corrupt politicians who bet against majority rule, who bet against democracy,” Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters told reporters at an election night gathering in Columbus. “Tonight, Ohioans everywhere have claimed a victory for the kind of state we want to see.”

Tuesday's election was the culmination of a months-long fight that began last year, when Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, first introduced a plan to tighten the rules for constitutional amendments. The debate played out in the halls of the Ohio Statehouse, on the campaign trail and even in the courtroom as opponents tried to stop GOP lawmakers in their tracks.

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Ohioans bought the message opponents were selling. “No” votes poured in from progressive strongholds around Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Cleveland, but the measure also garnered opposition from voters in key GOP areas. For example, nearly 58% of voters in suburban Delaware County north of Columbus rejected Issue 1 despite the county's long history of supporting Republicans.

The same percentage of voters opposed Issue 1 in Mahoning County. The blue-collar county was once safe Democratic territory, but it's now driven by populist conservatives who support former President Donald Trump.

Both sides viewed Tuesday's special election as a proxy battle on abortion. Pro-choice groups are working feverishly to ensure a proposed amendment to preserve abortion access in the state constitution makes it to the November 2023 ballot. Driven by their concern over Ohio's “heartbeat” abortion law, which prohibits abortions after six weeks, the groups chose this November to make abortion access the prevailing issue for Ohio voters.

Current polling shows 50% to 60% of Ohio registered voters support a constitutional amendment for abortion rights.

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