Ohio voters enshrined abortion rights in their state’s Constitution, a boon for Democrats running on the issue and complicating Republicans’ campaign messages with the approach of the 2024 elections.
The amendment, known as Issue 1, was adopted by a margin of 59% to 41% with a third of the vote counted in Tuesday’s general election in Ohio, according to the Associated Press. It’s the only state with an abortion issue on the ballot this fall. The amendment prevents the state from interfering with reproductive decisions up to about 23 weeks of pregnancy.
Supporters have said the amendment takes an important decision away from the government and back into the hands of individuals and was needed after Ohio Republicans enacted one of the most restrictive bans in the country in 2019. That law bans abortions after about six weeks — before many women know they’re pregnant with no exceptions.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision last year, anti-abortion referendums were defeated in Kansas, Kentucky and Montana, and rights measures passed in California, Michigan and Vermont. Earlier this year, a Wisconsin state supreme court candidate who pledged to back abortion rights won by a wide margin with unusually high turnout.
Passing the amendment in Ohio, a state that Donald Trump won twice, shows abortion can be a motivating issue for Democrats and younger voters while animating many Republicans, especially GOP women, said veteran Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik.
“It’s like a freight train that’s picked up even more speed on the issue,” Sosnik said.
Mark Caleb Smith, director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University in Ohio, said Issue 1 supporters benefited because opponents were outspent on advertising, $24.6 million to $16.3 million, according to AdImpact. Another ballot issue to legalize recreational marijuana likely helped encourage turnout of younger…
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