Abortion-Rights Supporters Score Win as Ohio Voters Defeat Issue 1

Voters in Ohio defeated a measure that would have made it harder to change the state constitution, according to the Associated Press, in a win for abortion-rights supporters.

The defeat of the measure known as Issue 1 means a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot enshrining abortion access faces a lower bar for passage. Issue 1 would have made all future constitutional amendments receive at least 60% support to be adopted, instead of the current rule requiring a simple majority.

The contest, which featured millions of dollars of advertisements for both sides, was the latest fight over state-level abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, ending the federal right to abortion.

Ohio is one of several Republican-dominated states to vote with abortion-rights supporters, following Kansas and Kentucky last year.

The state’s Republican-controlled legislature voted this spring to put Issue 1 on the ballot in an August special election. At the time, abortion-rights supporters were gathering signatures for their constitutional amendment, which last month was approved for the November ballot by the secretary of state.

The 60% threshold for constitutional amendments set by Issue 1 could have proven decisive for November’s abortion ballot measure. A July poll by the USA Today Network and Suffolk University found that 58% of likely voters in Ohio supported it.

Voters in different parts of the state said abortion was top of mind as they voted on Issue 1.

Karen Kopack, a 56-year-old Democrat in Mason, Ohio, and mother of three, said she voted against the measure because she views it as government overreach aimed at limiting abortion rights.

“It’s going to effectively end any citizen-led initiative in the state,” Kopack said.

Ruth Edmonds, 59, a Republican who works for the Center for Christian Virtue, a faith-based, public-policy organization, said she voted for Issue 1 because she doesn’t want special-interest groups funding campaigns to bypass the legislature and change the state constitution on issues like abortion rights. “I think the issue of life is superior to all other issues,” she said. 

Issue 1, which needed a simple majority to pass, also would have required citizens who want to put an amendment on the ballot to get signatures from each of the state’s 88 counties—instead of 44 currently—and eliminated a 10-day period in which signatures deemed faulty can be replaced.

Dennis Willard,

Protect Our Constitution, a leading proponent, issued a statement that said in part, “Though these are not the results we hoped for, our coalition looks forward to working with the General Assembly on policy for the betterment of all Ohioans, in a manner that honors and respects the legislative process—not circumvents it.”

Voters have favored abortion rights in referendums in half a dozen states since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

On Tuesday, a coalition of abortion-rights groups in Arizona submitted language to the secretary of state to amend that state’s constitution to protect the right to an abortion until a doctor has determined fetal viability, which typically occurs around 22 to 24 weeks. Abortions would be allowed after that cutoff if a healthcare provider determines the procedure is necessary to protect the life or health of the mother. 

Supporters will need to gather 383,923 signatures to put that amendment on the ballot next year. Arizona law currently bans most abortions after 15 weeks.

In Ohio, abortion is now legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Last year, after the Supreme Court decision, a 2019 law banning abortion at six weeks took effect in Ohio. In September, a state judge issued an injunction blocking it while litigation proceeds.

Supporters said Issue 1 was needed to keep out-of-state special interest groups from bypassing the legislature on a range of issues, such as redistricting or raising the minimum wage. Opponents said it was primarily aimed at keeping the abortion-rights amendment from passing.

The state GOP, antiabortion advocates and business groups that supported Issue 1 faced off against state Democrats, abortion-rights groups and labor groups.

One Person One Vote has raised $14.8 million, according to the latest available campaign-finance records. Protect Our Constitution and another group that supported Issue 1, Protect Women Ohio, have raised a combined $14.5 million.

Nearly 700,000 people voted early or by mail in Tuesday’s special election, according to Ohio’s secretary of state, far outpacing earlier August elections. Last year, about 150,000 people voted early in an August primary.

November’s abortion measure states that every individual “has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” It also states that abortion might be prohibited after fetal viability, except when a physician deems it necessary to protect a patient’s life or health.

—Eliza Collins and Laura Kusisto contributed to this article.

Write to Kris Maher at [email protected]

Corrections & Amplifications
Abortion-rights supporters were gathering signatures this spring for a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio’s constitution. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said abortion opponents were gathering the signatures. (Corrected on Aug. 8)