Ohio voters have rejected Issue 1, a ballot measure that sought to make it harder for citizens to amend the Ohio Constitution through future ballot initiatives.
As of 10 a.m. Aug. 9, the final numbers for the state show 1,744,094 "No" votes and 1,315,346 "Yes" votes. That's 57.01% of the state voting to preserve the current rules allowing citizens to amend the Ohio Constitution with a simple majority of 50%, rather than the 60% Republicans were pushing to try and keep voters from passing an abortion amendment in November.
The morning after defeat, those Republicans are blaming the results on out-of-state donors, campaign time and the "radical left."
“Out-of-state dark money special interest groups, including a Swiss billionaire, just spent millions of dollars in Ohio to deceive voters into not passing Issue 1,” said Peter Range, Ohio Right to Life’s chief executive officer. Ohio Right to Life was heavily involved in campaigning with Republicans to pass Issue 1. Republicans even tapped the anti-abortion group's president, Michael Gonidakis, to argue in favor of Issue 1 during the state's only televised debate on the election.
Through a repost on X (formerly Twitter), Gonidakis hinted that "Democrat poll workers" were to blame for results in some northern counties.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state's top election official who stumped the hardest for Issue 1, blamed the "radical left" during a post-defeat appearance on Fox News.
"You're right, the other side prevailed," LaRose admitted. "The all-out assault on Ohio is coming from the radical left. I mean, look at the tech billionaires from California and New York that funded the 'No' campaign."
Through a repost on X (formerly Twitter), Gonidakis hinted that "Democrat poll workers" were to blame for results in some northern counties.
While conceding defeat, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) reportedly said there wasn’t enough time to plan the "Yes" campaign, even though his party put forth the issue and set the timeline.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state's top election official who stumped the hardest for Issue 1, blamed the "radical left" during a post-defeat appearance on Fox News.
"You're right, the other side prevailed," LaRose admitted. "The all-out assault on Ohio is coming from the radical left. I mean, look at the tech billionaires from California and New York that funded the 'No' campaign."
Both sides benefited from out-of-state funding during the Issue 1 campaign, including Republicans.
Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Reeves Oyster released a simple statement about LaRose after the race was called.
"Frank LaRose is officially Ohio's biggest loser," Oyster said.
"Frank LaRose is officially Ohio's biggest loser," Oyster said.
Abortion rights advocates now have a clearer path toward solidifying reproductive autonomy in the Ohio Constitution. A petition to get reproductive autonomy in the Ohio Constitution made it to the November ballot as of July 25. Because Issue 1 failed, it will only take a simple majority of 50% plus one vote to solidify or jeopardize abortion access in the state.
Scroll down to read more reactions to the Issue 1 defeat, including some that compare the loss to the viral Montgomery Riverfront Brawl.
Dr. Anita Somani, an OBGYN in Columbus who is part of the collective effort of Ohio doctors to defend abortion rights, released a statement in response to the election results:
“Like Ohio voters, physicians overwhelmingly agree that women should be able to make their own decisions about pregnancy, contraception and abortion," Somani said. "The anti-abortion lawmakers who pushed Issue 1 should stop trying to take away the rights of women and all Ohio voters. This is a wake up call to show up in November."
“Like Ohio voters, physicians overwhelmingly agree that women should be able to make their own decisions about pregnancy, contraception and abortion," Somani said. "The anti-abortion lawmakers who pushed Issue 1 should stop trying to take away the rights of women and all Ohio voters. This is a wake up call to show up in November."
Scroll down to read more reactions to the Issue 1 defeat, including some that compare the loss to the viral Montgomery Riverfront Brawl.
