Ohio voters rejected a proposal that would have made it more difficult for voters to amend the state constitution, including a measure set for the November ballot that would guarantee abortion rights in the state, the Associated Press reports. Supporters of the proposal known as Issue 1 fell short in their effort to require future changes to the state constitution to win the support of 60% of voters instead of a straight majority. Votes cast against the measure lead yes votes by more than 350,000, with nearly 90% of the expected vote tallied and some of the state’s largest and most Democratic-friendly regions, including Cleveland's Cuyahoga County, yet to report complete results.
Advance votes, which are cast by mail or in-person before Election Day, broke heavily for No, about 70% to 30%. More than 700,000 votes were cast before Election Day. The No side also appeared to lead narrowly among voters who cast their ballots on Election Day. That, in addition to the lopsided result in the advance vote, created a lead that the Yes side could not overcome. The size of the vote lead for the No side indicates that a sizable number of Republicans voted against the measure. The No side was comfortably ahead in areas that Donald Trump carried narrowly in the 2020 presidential election. Although Yes led in areas Trump won by greater margins in 2020, it fell far short of Trump’s performance in nearly every county in the state. No votes had an overwhelming lead in areas Joe Biden won in 2020, as expected.
Comments