UPDATE (August 9, 2023) #2:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (ADAMS) – Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman says lawmakers will “probably” bring the question Issue 1 asked back onto ballots in the future.
Huffman’s statement comes just hours after Ohio voters rejected Issue 1 in a special election held this week. It would have raised the threshold to make changes to the state’s constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent.
Huffman says voters will most likely see the question coming back at some point, but not this year. He added that partial blame for Issue 1’s failure should be placed on former ex-GOP Governors John Kasich and Bob Taft, who were vocally against the issue.
Huffman added that the $16 million dollars the state spent on the special election was worth it.
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UPDATE (August 9, 2023):
COLUMBUS, Ohio (ADAMS) – Ohio voters are rejecting a measure that would have made it harder to get abortion rights enshrined in the state constitution.
Issue 1 would have required at least 60 percent of voters to pass any amendments to the state constitution, rather than a simple majority.
Although Issue 1 didn’t specifically mention abortion, several Ohio Republican legislators admitted it was an effort to undercut a separate ballot measure that aims to add abortion rights into the state’s constitution.
At the end of Tuesday’s special election, Issue 1 failed to pass.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (ADAMS) – Polls are opening at 6:30 this morning for Ohio’s August special election. The singular item appearing on ballots across the state is Issue One.
The measure would require future state constitutional amendments to get support from 60 percent of voters in order to pass, as opposed to the current simple majority requirement.
The proposed rule has seen support and opposition from a wide range of political advocacy groups due to its potential impact on future measures, including a reproductive rights amendment going before voters in the fall. State officials say close to 700,000 Ohioans have voted early in the special election.
That is more than three times the voter turnout in Ohio’s 2022 primaries.
Read more here
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