After a long campaign season for and against Ohio State Issue 1 to raise the threshold to amend the state Constitution, voting numbers from county boards of elections are pouring in and being added to the unofficial results on the Ohio Secretary of State’s Website.
As of 10:00 pm on Election Day, the trending unofficial outcome is that voters have defeated Ohio State Issue 1.
Issue 1, if approved by voters, would have mandated a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.
Voters defeated State Issue 1, with 56 percent of voters rejecting the amendment to increase the threshold to amend the state Constitution.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State, results are unofficial until it certifies the election results. The official canvass is completed approximately three weeks after the election’s conclusion, and the secretary of state releases the results following a review of the county boards of elections’ official canvass reports.
The Associated Press called the election at 8:58 pm in favor of a “No” vote on Issue 1. According to the Associated Press, they only call an election when they are fully confident that a race has been won.
Democrats called Issue 1 a “power grab.”
“Once again, Republicans want to change the rules to increase their own stranglehold on power. This is an attempt to erase the voices of Ohio voters and intentionally create barriers between citizens and their democracy.” House Democratic Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said.
Republicans, however, said that the state Constitution is a sacred document that special interest groups should not be able to amend so easily.
They claimed that Issue 1 would ensure amendments have widespread support and tell special interests that the state Constitution is not up for grabs. By requiring signatures from voters in every county, special interests would no longer be able to cherry-pick where they gather signatures, and by restricting the do-overs on signature submissions, special interests would have only once chance to play by the rules.
“Our Founding Fathers ensured that the United States Constitution would be protected against outside influence and special interests by requiring a super-majority vote for amendments. We can and should protect the Ohio Constitution in a similar way,” State Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said it is a sad day for Ohio with the defeat of Ohio State Issue 1.
“It is a sad day for Ohio and a warning for pro-life states across the nation. Millions of dollars and liberal dark money flooded Ohio to ensure they have a path to buy their extreme policies in a pro-life state. Tragically, some sat on the sideline while outsider liberal groups poured millions into Ohio. A broad coalition of passionate pro-life Ohioans came together to fight parental rights opponents and try to take victory from the jaws of defeat. But the silence of the establishment and business community in Ohio left a vacuum too large to overcome. During this crucial election, progressives funneled in millions from outside groups to mislead the people of Ohio. Sadly, attacks on state constitutions are now the national playbook of the extreme pro-abortion Left. That is why everyone must take this threat seriously and recognize progressives will win if their opponents are scared into submission by the pro-abortion Left. So long as the Republicans and their supporters take the ostrich strategy and bury their heads in the sand, they will lose again and again,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said.
Protect Women Ohio said that the election results prove Ohio’s constitution needs protection.
“Tonight’s election results prove exactly why Ohio’s constitution needs and deserves additional protections: liberal dark money groups funded by a Swiss billionaire swooped in during the eleventh hour and blanketed Ohio with deceptive ads. But now they will face millions of emboldened Ohioans who refuse to stand by while the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) targets parental rights, pushes for abortion-on-demand through all nine months, and goes after commonsense health and safety protections for women. Our pro-life, pro-parent coalition is more motivated than ever — Ohio will never cancel parents’ rights or allow for painful late-term abortion up until birth, and together we will defeat the ACLU in November,” Protect Women Ohio said.
Ohio State Issue 1 garnered support from numerous members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
The Issue comes when pro-abortion activists are working to pass a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would legalize abortion throughout the state.
A second proposed amendment that would eventually raise the state’s minimum wage will likely appear on a 2024 ballot.
Ohioans can continue to check voteohio.gov for further election updates.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Frank LaRose” by Frank LaRose. Background Photo “Ohio Statehouse” by Ɱ. CC BY-SA 4.0.
