Poll: 58% of likely Ohio voters back proposal to enshrine abortion access in constitution

A new USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University survey shows that Ohioans are largely in favor of a constitutional amendment to include abortion access. However, it is unlikely to pass the proposed 60% threshold. Voters will vote on this in August.

According to a poll conducted by 500 likely Ohio voters between July 9 and 12, the proposal for abortion rights could appear on the November ballot. However, 32.4% of respondents opposed it while 10% were undecided. The margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.

Around 81% of Democrats support the amendment, compared to 32% of Republicans. The proposal was more popular among younger voters (69% between 18-34 years of age) than older Ohioans (48% aged 65 and older). Women were more likely to support the measure than men, with 64% supporting it compared to only 50%.

Abortion rights advocates will have to not only win, but also get 60% of the votes. Issue 1 was placed on the ballot by Republican lawmakers for the 8th of August. The state constitution will need 60% approval to be amended, instead of the current simple majority plus one vote.

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Although efforts to make amending the state constitution more difficult are not new in Ohio, the timing of the Issue 1 is strategically timed to try to deter the abortion rights measure. Suffolk University’s poll showed that 57% of Ohio voters are likely to oppose Issue 1, 26% will support it, and 17% remain undecided.

It is not official that the proposed amendment to include abortion protections into the state constitution will be on the ballot in November. Tuesday is the deadline by which Ohio Secretary of state Frank LaRose must announce if advocates have submitted enough valid signatures for the fall ballot.

Ohio cannot restrict abortion access before viability. This is when a doctor determines that the fetus can survive outside of the uterus if reasonable measures are taken. After that point, abortions could be performed to save the patient’s health or life.

The measure’s supporters say that it will bring Ohio back to a time before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Roe v. Wade 2022. Opponents claim the proposal is much more radical, and threatens any limits to abortion.

Ohio’s GOP controlled legislature has passed multiple restrictions on abortion over the last decade. These range from waiting periods to bans and even mandatory ultrasounds. Last year, Republican lawmakers did not pass a complete abortion ban.

Ohio allows abortions up to 21 weeks, 6 days. A judge’s ruling temporarily blocked the 2019 law which prohibited doctors from performing abortions once cardiac activity was detected. This is around six weeks after pregnancy. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has taken the case to the Ohio Supreme Court.