In November, Ohio voters will be asked to approve an amendment to the state constitution codifying abortion. Today (August 8), they vote on a GOP-led amendment that would make it more difficult to pass amendments in the future.
The vote in November asks voters to approve an amendment drafted by Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights.
The proposed amendment—titled The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety—reads, in part: “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on: contraception; fertility treatment; continuing one’s own pregnancy; miscarriage care; and abortion.”
The amendment has 495,938 approved signatures and exceeds the county requirements in 55 counties, meaning that, as the state constitution stands, it would easily pass when put to a vote this fall.
But, of course, the Ohio GOP couldn’t make it that easy.
Today’s special election has a single measure on the ballot: Issue 1. Issue 1 was proposed by a joint resolution of the state’s general assembly and contains three parts:
- It would require that any proposed amendments to the state constitution are approved by 60 percent of eligible voters (up from the current 50 percent).
- It would require that any proposed amendment is signed by an elector from each county (up from the current 50 percent of counties).
- It would require that all submitted petitions to amend the state constitution could not add signatures after submission (currently, petitions have a 10 day “cure period” to garner more signatures.
While this proposed amendment could harm the reproductive justice movement this fall, it would also limit statewide democracy, as a whole. If this amendment passes today, even if a majority of voters agree to pass any amendment, it could still fail to become law.
This amendment would harm not only Democrats but those of all political parties—even the GOP. With Ohio’s swing state status, voters tend to be pretty evenly divided on a variety of partisan issues.
For example, one of the last major Ohio State Constitution amendments—the Ohio Initiated Monopolies Amendment—passed in 2015 with 51.33 percent of the vote. This amendment was sponsored almost exclusively by Republicans (one Democrat, 43 Republicans) and was created in response to a same-ballot marijuana legalization amendment.
That is to say, this amendment, if it passes, will inevitably hurt the GOP’s agenda—so why are they willing to risk it?
“Some people say, ‘This is all about abortion.’ Well, you know what, I’m pro-life; I think many of you are as well, right?” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said of Issue 1. “This is 100 percent about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November.”
To keep voters from “jamming in” their right to healthcare, LaRose and state legislators are willing to limit access to democracy for all Ohioans.
(featured image: mrolands/Getty Images)
