The vote could play a big role in the future of abortion rights in Ohio. But it also raises questions about the power of ordinary citizens over elected politicians.
The Republican-led State Legislature ordered the referendum, known as Issue 1, this spring in a vote that was largely along party lines. Proponents argued that it is too easy for special interests to rewrite the State Constitution to their benefit.
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But Republicans soon conceded that the referendum was really prompted by something else: the November effort to add an abortion-rights amendment to the Constitution, and the success last year of six ballot proposals across the country protecting abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Ohio’s proposed amendment is the product of a grass roots campaign mounted after the Legislature enacted one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans last year. (It has not yet taken effect, as the State Supreme Court is reviewing the measure.)
Tuesday’s referendum “is 100 percent about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our Constitution,” Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 2024, said in a speech in June.
If you’re in Ohio, now is a good time to join a Democratic Club/Caucus in your city/county! The Ohio Dems have a list here.
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