OH GOP Moves To Tank Abortion Rights Referendum

The Associated Press reports:

An effort by a Republican faction in Ohio to make it harder to change the state constitution faces a critical juncture this week, with action needed in the politically fractured Ohio House where the undertaking has so far stalled.

Potentially at stake are the future of abortion access in the state, as well as the legality of marijuana, the minimum wage, reform of Ohio’s political map-making system and possibly limits on future vaccine mandates. All are subjects of burgeoning constitutional amendment campaigns.

All eyes are on the House, which has yet to vote on a proposal to require 60% of the Ohio electorate to pass all future constitutional changes. Passage of the proposal, ironically, would require merely the same 50%-plus-one simple majority that has been in place since 1912.

Read the full article.

The report notes that the constitutional change is specifically targeted at “tanking” the abortion rights amendment. Photo above: Sen. Rob McColley, sponsor.

Ohio constitution overhaul faces deadline, backlash
A large bipartisan coalition of organizations staged a protest last week, featuring hundreds of protesters marching around the Statehouse. They plan to return Wednesday.https://t.co/rm6akIIaMg

— League of Women Voters of Ohio (@lwvohio) May 9, 2023