I know, but if it ends up being a slim margin I don’t think it’s saying as much about our state as we want.
That’s a fair point. But at least democracy was saved there for another little while.
Nope, the Republicans don’t actually give a damn about abortion. They’re just using it as a wedge with which to attack democracy, which they do care about.
Yay! And I did my part.
I’m watching a YouTube MSNBC news clip here and at the time of the video the vote percentage is presently 63% no & 37% yes. A touch ironic that even if the 60% were the required number the pro choice vote would likely still succeed on the main ballot.
Great work by Ohio citizens to protect their state democracy.
Looks like 57% chose no, as of now.
Bets on what the final margin is? If it holds above 55 I’ll have hope for November.
From what I’ve read, the slower counts will be from the larger population centers, so it should skew left (no) as the final votes trickle in. Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Lucas County (Toledo), Stark County (Canton) and Butler County (Metro Cincy) are still in the 70%s now as of 10:40PM.
Is Metro Cincinnati likely to vote no? Seems like I’ve read that Cincinnati and particularly its suburbs are relatively conservative. True? (False?)
I can certainly believe Cuyahoga and Lucas counties will move the total count toward the No side.
Not an Ohioan.
Southwestern Ohio is a little more conservative than Northeastern Ohio as a rule, and this map bears that out again.
Butler, Clermont & Warren counties are the counties that border Hamilton County (Cincinnati) and all are about 50/50. Several suburban counties in the NE were clear ‘No’ votes, as well as one or two around Columbus.
Hamilton County went 60/40 for the No’s.
“The outcome of Tuesday’s special election maintains the lower bar that has been in place since 1912 and could pave the way for approval of the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that seeks to protect abortion rights. A July poll from the USA Today Network and Suffolk University found 58% of Ohio voters support the effort to enshrine abortion access in the state’s founding document.”
bsnews.com/news/ohio-issue-1-fails-to-pass-2023-results/
Meddling with the state constitution for the purpose of denying abortion rights previously went down to defeat in red-state Kentucky.
Politicians are beginning to realize that extreme anti-abortion rights measures don’t fly with most of their constituents.
It seems like it’s finally going to be 57/43. Way to go and not a bad sign. Of course, “can’t wait” for what else the putzes will try over the next 3 months.
As to state constitutional amendments, well, the bigger issue as mentioned is the fact that the states DO tend to turn their constitutions into mini-civil codes for the sake of tying (or forcing) the hands of future legislatures or of localities, seeking to make it so your policy decision of today becomes the fundamental policy of the whole state presumably “forever”.
(The updated map at the Dispatch page tells me there will be a whole lot of “waaaahhh! them corrupt cities are tyrannizing us good real country folk! no fair just 'cause there’s more of them!” going on. And of course a narrative that this was paid off by Soros or something.)
Ugh. I’ve got a relative who thinks everything he doesn’t like is the doing of some Soros-Gates cabal.
When I asked him if the Koch-Mercer cabal wasn’t the same he said he didn’t know who they were
that 57 is why they chose 60 as the number. they saw that other votes did not clear 60.
Over 3 million people voted! That’s more than most off-year general elections! Proud of Ohio, especially up here in Northeast Ohio which was solidly No.
Thanks to all who voted NO in Ohio. A great day for democracy.
I’m hoping this overreach by the Republicans inspires fence-sitters to vote for the amendment.
Don’t expect the same numbers for the abortion amendment itself. I know a number of folks who plan to vote no on the amendment protecting abortion, but who considered this one to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and who also voted no on it.
That is similar to what happened in Kansas last year. The Pubbies tried to sneak an anti-abortion constitutional amendment into an August primary, but a record turnout voted it down.
The GOP, of course, blamed it on a poorly-worded amendment and out-of-state money.
Great job, Ohio! Now, if you could just vote out Gym Jordan…
Unfortunately the rest of Ohio doesn’t have a say in his race. He is solidly set where he’s at and he knows it.
Good point — there surely are people on that other side of the fence on the abortion issue who anyway don’t want to disarm themselves in a future vote on something else (or on a retry on abortion itself).