Undemocratic & Unpopular in Ohio

Ohioans responded with a resounding “no” to an attempt to erode democracy in their state this month. They voted down a measure that would have raised the threshold to pass any ballot measure amending the state’s Constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent. It was very transparently meant to make it harder for Ohio voters to pass the upcoming November initiative that seeks to establish a constitutional right to abortion. This month’s measure became a sort of proxy for the abortion debate writ large, and Ohio responded with astonishing turnout numbers. In fact, nearly twice as many people voted on the Ohio measure than cast ballots in the state’s primaries last year.

Last year, voters in Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Vermont, Montana, and California demonstrated that when reproductive freedom is on the ballot, reproductive freedom wins. Abortion rights are popular—even in purple states and among moderates. In recent qualitative research conducted by our nonpartisan affiliate, Galvanize USA, 70 percent of women surveyed somewhat or strongly agreed that abortion is a personal decision that should not involve the government. Nationally, support for legal abortions is still near last year’s record high. There’s no disputing the will of the electorate on this issue. 

But as Ohio showed us, anti-choice, anti-democracy public officials are leading efforts to prevent Americans from even getting to vote on this critical issue. They are willing to undermine our already-fragile democracy to push unpopular policy that defies the popular vote. Democracy and abortion rights are inextricably linked; it is critical that we continue working to protect both.