Ohioans are equally split on the issue of whether to increase the threshold to amend the state constitution to a 60% majority, a question with major implications for the future of abortion in the Buckeye State.
An Ohio Northern University poll published on Thursday found 42.4% of likely voters said they agreed with raising the threshold for amending the state constitution via referendum from 50% of voters to 60%, as will be asked in Issue 1 on Aug. 8.
TRUMP LEAD OVER PRIMARY OPPONENTS HOLDS STEADY, BIDEN GAINS SUPPORT: POLL
Along partisan lines, only 56.4% of Democrats disagree with increasing the constitutional threshold, while nearly 11% were neutral and over 31% supported the measure. Of Republicans, by contrast, 53.2% supported the measure, while 30% disagreed and 13% neither supported nor opposed.
What might be a procedural question in an August election in an odd election year has become a turning point in the abortion debate across the country as Ohioans debate a ballot measure for 2024 that will ask voters whether they want to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution.
Anti-abortion advocates say the vague language in the amendment prohibits the state from interfering in any way in abortion procedures, including requiring parental consent for a minor's abortion or mandating safety regulations.
“Issue 1 is the only item on the August statewide ballot," said Robert Alexander, the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University's founding director. "[W]hile it is aimed at increasing the thresholds to amend the Ohio Constitution, it is clear that it is mainly about making a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion access in the Ohio Constitution more difficult.”
Stephen Billy, the vice president for state affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told reporters on Thursday that a key part of the anti-abortion strategy in Ohio has been to coordinate with other conservative issue groups, such as gun rights supporters, to gain wider support for increasing the threshold for all state constitutional amendments rather than relying solely on anti-abortion votes.
"They can't succeed through the legislative process," Billy said. "The stakes could not be higher."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The recent poll indicates 53.8% of likely voters support passing the abortion amendment, while 43.3% support "future abortion restrictions in Ohio."
Of survey respondents, 52.3% disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, which effectively gave authority over the topic of abortion to the states. Only 38.6% of those polled supported state authority over abortion, including 53.3% of Republicans and only 26.6% of Democrats.