Abortion rights advocates have now racked up seven consecutive wins since the fall of Roe v. Wade when voters have weighed in directly on reproductive rights. Next year, they’re hoping to build on that momentum.
The approval of Ohio’s Issue 1, the latest measure to enshrine abortion rights in a state constitution, is yet another sign that abortion is a winning issue for groups gathering signatures for even more reproductive rights amendments in 2024.
The ballot initiative process is not available in all states. But for months, coalitions have been working to replicate a version of Ohio’s amendment in states that allow for such an exercise: from battleground states like Arizona, Florida and Nevada to blue states like Colorado and Maryland to red states like Missouri, South Dakota and Nebraska.
For Democrats, who have made abortion rights a central part of their pitch to voters since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling erased federal protections, the initiatives could help boost turnout among the kind of voters they’ll need in the general election. The increased turnout will be critical to President Joe Biden’s reelection hopes with polls by CNN and others showing him struggling to generate enthusiasm amid deep public discontent over his job performance and the state of the economy. Arizona, Nevada and Florida are also expected to have competitive Senate races next year.
For abortion rights advocates in red states that have enacted severe bans on the procedure, these measures are sometimes the only viable path to restoring abortion access.
The Ohio result is “a signal to keep pushing forward” for groups gathering signatures for abortion rights initiatives, said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works to advance progressive measures.
“When we put reproductive freedom…
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