The state of Ohio has largely rejected Issue 1, keeping a simple majority to amend the state constitution, thereby making it easier for an abortion rights constitutional amendment on the ballot this November to gain approval.

After record-breaking voter turnout since early voting began last month, the Columbus Dispatch called the result with 24% of the votes in, projecting a no vote victory of almost 70%.

Just shy of 30% of Ohioans appear to have voted yes to increase the difficulty of amending the state constitution to require a 60% majority vote.

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Analysts across the country have been watching the special election in the Buckeye state because of its implications for an upcoming referendum on enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.

Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks gestation. A six-week abortion ban that was signed by Gov. Mike Dewine (R) in 2019 was put on hold in December.

Anti-abortion Attorney General Frank LaRose (R)—who is running for U.S. Senate in 2024—certified the signatures to place an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November 2023, which prevents the state legislature from interfering or unduly burdening those seeking or providing abortions.

Opponents to the abortion amendment say the amendment would invalidate several existing Ohio laws aside from the gestational age limits, including parental consent measures and regulations of abortion facilities.

Those who opposed the abortion amendment have been the strongest proponents of Issue 1, stressing that changing the state's founding document should not be an easy process.

"To many voters [Issue 1] is very reasonable when they see what it requires to change our US Constitution what it requires in other states," Michelle Ashley of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America told the Washington Examiner. "It's bipartisan ... and it's very common sense."

Ohio is one of only 18 states that allows for petition-initiated constitutional amendments. Only 9 of those states currently require a simple majority to change the state's governing document.

Advocates of the abortion amendment, including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, contend that requiring a super majority hinders the principle of one person one vote.

"Without one person one vote, we are no longer a functional democracy – rather a disturbing inversion where a small number of people decide how the majority must live," says Collin Marozzi, the deputy policy director of ACLU Ohio. "By requiring 60% support for future amendments, Ohioans’ votes and voices will no longer be equal."

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Recent polls indicated that 58% of Ohioans support enacting the abortion amendment.

Anti-abortion advocates still have an opportunity to thwart the proposed abortion amendment via a recent lawsuit filed by two state-level GOP political leaders. The lawsuit claims that the amendment violates requirements because it does not clarify what current state laws the change would invalidate if passed by referendum.