Ohio Issue 1 fails: Big cities, suburban and many rural counties voted down issue

Columbus Dispatch ^ | August 8, 2023 | Haley BeMiller

[Coronal]

Issue 1 was projected to fail on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, dealing a blow to Ohio Republicans who wanted to hamstring a November ballot question on abortion rights.

Decision Desk HQ, an election results reporting agency providing results and race calls for the USA TODAY Network Ohio, called the race around 8:09 p.m. With about 28% of the vote counted, no vote was leading 68% to 32%.

Tuesday’s election was the culmination of a months-long fight that began last year, when Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, first introduced a plan to tighten the rules for constitutional amendments. The debate played out in the halls of the Ohio Statehouse, on the campaign trail and even in the courtroom as opponents tried to stop GOP lawmakers in their tracks.

Proponents of the measure said they want to keep controversial policies out of the constitution and reserve it for the state's fundamental rights and values. Critics argued the ballot measure was a power grab that would hamstring the rights of citizens to place an issue on the ballot.

Ohioans appeared to buy the message opponents were selling.

[nbenyo]

Pro choice side wins every referendum, even in red states Kansas, Kentucky and now Ohio.

We have to cut our losses on this issue, unless we want the communists to win every thing

[gibsonguy]

Exactly, seems like common sense to me. It wasn’t close l just don’t get it.

[BlackAdderess]

No, it really doesn’t seem reasonable.

[Dilbert San Diego]

So what was the conservative view of this issue? From comments here, some Freepers are happy this was defeated, while others are angry it was defeated.

I know some issues don’t have a clear liberal/conservative split, and it seems this is one such issue.

[gibsonguy]

When the rats make mail voting and killing 9 month old babies part of your state Constitution you will see the problem. I’d say it’s more like Democrats fleeing the city’s that is ruining your small towns than RINOs.

[americas.best.days...]

I’m in northeast Ohio. Where are you seeing this kind of housing and solar farms?

[MinorityRepublican]

Ballot initiatives in Ohio presently require only a simple majority to pass.

Ballot initiatives are stupid.

[Theoria]

The gop decided to change the ability to create a constitutional amendment. They did that because, they felt they would lose in November with the pro abort right on the vote. The put forth this change in amendment process after the abortion amendment was gonna be voted on. I understand how that can be weird, especially if a dem suggested this last minute on a gop amendment, etc.

[Jim from C-Town]

It did not lose 2-1. It lost soundly as I thought it would.

It was heavily pushed as a pro-democracy issue, instead of what it is, an assault on republican style government.

The ballot issue was sound. Ohio has 172 constitutional amendments because anyone with the resources can mount a campaign in the big counties & get a 50% + 1 vote to change the constitution. We have stupid amendments here that are all but impossible to remove.

We will now have abortion through 9 months legal in Ohio, probably by a 53-47% margin.

[MinorityRepublican]

All any pet cause needs is a simple majority and our State constitution gets a rewrite.

Eventually, the state will turn out to be like California because it's too easy to manipulate the voters on a referendum.

[gibsonguy]

The rats are going to change your Constitution in November with a simple majority and they are just getting started. You are going to wish this passed. Every rats voted against this bet the farm

[mmichaels1970]

So what was the conservative view of this issue?

To me, the conservative view is that any constitution, whether federal or state, should be protected from whatever the whims of the mob may be at any given time. A constitution should contain a framework of rights that should only be amended when an issue becomes important enough to garner a super majority (they want 60%, I’d support 2/3) of the electorate.

No cash-rich cause should be able to bounce into town, mobilize a signature campaign and get their pet issue enshrined as a basic right in our state’s constitution. It should be harder than that.

Did Ohio require a simple majority for 110 years? Yes. Was that wrong? Yes. Should that be fixed? Yes. Was Roe v Wade considered a protected U.S. constitutional right for darned near 50 years? Yes. Was it wrong. Yes.

We had a chance to make monkeying with a state constitution harder. To me THAT goes directly to the definition of a conservative position.

[mmichaels1970]

Ballot initiatives are stupid.

Anen.

[OftheOhio]

I don’t live in a town. You don’t get it. You’re a RINO lover, just say it, lol. Keep hoping. A lot of FReepers seem to have battered wife syndrome. Yes, hold your nose and keep voting for that rino.

[napscoordinator]

I agree but thought since we won Virginia governor, I’d begin with 2018. But basically it’s been dismal since trumps 17,000 vote win in 2016.

[napscoordinator]

I’m very happy to hear this.

[cowboyusa]

We kept The Senate in 18, won big in the House in 2020, and flipped the House on 2022.

[OftheOhio]

South Central. On top of it all, Cincinnati has already claimed all the power from the solar farms from a republican county(s). Typical hypocrites, can’t put those solar farms in their own Hamilton county.

[windsorknot]

I would have supported this issue regardless of who was trying to ram through a pet issue. I believe all constitutions should be hard to change. They set forth a framework of rights that should be protected from the whims of the mob.

You get it. That’s exactly why I voted in favor of it. Rachel Maddow is ecstatic that the issue failed. Enough said.

[napscoordinator]

I guess. It wasn’t impressive to say the least.