Democrats hope to emulate Ohio ballotmeasure plan to protect abortion rights
In the days since Ohio voters overwhelmingly backed a ballot measure to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution, abortion rights supporters and Democrats across the country have become enthralled with the idea of using such measures to protect access to the procedure.
Not only are ballot measures often the best chance states have of restoring or protecting abortion rights, but they have proved to be a shot in the arm for Democratic and Republican voters alike. Ballot measures in states such as Kansas and Ohio, once considered conservative strongholds, have won by overwhelming margins – and won in areas that Joe Biden lost in 2020.
Abortion-related referendums are already under way in swing states such as Arizona, Nevada and Florida. However, despite the post election-day enthusiasm, these measures are far from a failsafe.
“They are an important tool. But they require a lot of preparation and work,” said Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer at the American Civil Liberties Union. Although the national ACLU is still deciding where to direct its firepower, the organization’s state affiliates are involved with several ballot-measure efforts.
“Is there a very strong and united instate coalition? Is there a commitment from funders that they’re really ready to do this?” Schifeling said.
In many states, abortion rights supporters still have several months to gather enough signatures to secure a spot on the ballot. In purple Arizona, abortion-rights activists are eager to garner the votes of independents and Republicans. They are pitching their measure as a rebuke to government overreach, just as activists did in Kansas and Ohio.
“It may be, in the narrowest sense, possible to win with only Democrats. But that’s not even on our radar,” said Jodi Liggett, senior adviser for Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona, which is championing an abortion ballot