Voters rebuked radical Ohio lawmakers. Democracy spared but only for now| Our view on Issue 1

The defeat of Issue 1 is a wake-up call, but not to the far-right politicians who control the Ohio Statehouse.

They are well aware that the future of Ohio is at stake and have made their agenda of blunt force control abundantly clear.

Issue 1 is a wake-up call for Ohioans sitting on the sidelines believing they do not have to pay attention or take part in civic life.

It's defeat reinforces the importance of voters showing up and having their voice heard.

If passed, Issue 1 would have increased the percentage needed for approval of any voter-back constitutional amendment from 50% plus one to 60%, removed the grace period to collect signatures and required that a daunting number of signatures be collected from all 88 Ohio counties to get any issue on the ballot.

Despite voters' sound rejection of Issue 1, Senate President Matt Huffman indicated after the election that "you’ll probably see the question coming back” sometime in the future.

Not just about abortion

Some simplified Issue 1 as the first stage of the fight before voters are asked to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio's constitution this November.

That's not the whole of it, but there is truth in those assertions.

Reproductive rights were the reason many people voted in favor of or against the issue ultimately rejected by voters by an unofficial vote of 57% to 43%.

Abortion is also the reason it was on the ballot when it was on the ballot.

To stymie the amendment planned for the November ballot, Ohio's hypocritical Republican lawmakers wasted $20 million to place the unpopular-from-the-start issue on a special August election ballot.

Their desperate and deceitful move came mere months after passing legislation restricting August elections because they are costly and have low turnout.

Voters' power

Still Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was wrong when he asserted at a GOP Lincoln Day dinner that Issue 1 was 100% about the abortion amendment.

Issue 1 was an attempted hit job by lobbyists and supermajorities in the General Assembly who aim to trample your will and stifle your rights.

The cynics tried to play Ohioans, but voters did not fall for the scheme due in part to the strong vote "no" ground game, multimillion-dollar ad campaigns, media attention and politicians like LaRose caught talking out of both sides of their mouths.

More than 3 million Ohio voters cast ballots — a nearly 38% turnout — for the special selection , far exceeding LaRose's prediction of a single-digit turnout for the election.

Issue 1 was not a matter of Republican vs. Democrat or rural vs. cities.

Franklin, Hamilton, Cuyahoga, Summit, Lucas and Montgomery counties — the most populated in the state — rejected Issue 1 by 76% to 61% according to the unofficial results, but there were only a handful of smaller counties that gave it 70 or more percent of support.

Driving home the power of each vote, the "yes" votes and "no" votes were separated by 1 in Clark County — 16,015 "yes" votes to 16,014 "no" votes.

Unfair voting districts

Issue 1 failed, but the Republicans at the Statehouse have been successful in eroding voters' power in other ways.

Ohio's unconstitutional and gerrymandered voting districts are rigged in favor of Republicans and that's exactly how some legislators want to keep them.

In the Buckeye State, lawmakers pick their voters instead of voters picking their lawmakers.

State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, a chief proponent of what would become Issue 1, made the measure's intent clear when it was debated at the Statehouse. It was just as much about who draws voting districts as it was about a ban on abortion.

Our view: Deceitful bill proof some GOP lawmakers willing to steal rights from all Ohioans

"Unable to win a statewide election, Democrats now intend to rewrite Ohio's constitution to put (Chief Justice) Maureen O'Connor and other unelected liberals in charge of drawing legislative districts, affecting not only the Ohio Legislature, but control of the United States House of Representatives as well...," Stewart wrote in a letter to House GOP members.

His argument lacks logic and disregards the will of the people.

Ohio lawmakers proved they cannot be trusted to draw fair voting districts or abide by the will of the 71% of Ohioans who approved an anti-gerrymandering initiative in 2015 that sought fair districts.

That constitutional amendment and one in 2018 aimed to change the way officials draw voting district boundaries.

Gamesmanship from the dominating Republican members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission — Gov. Mike DeWine, LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber, Senate President Matt Huffman and then-House Speaker Bob Cupp — against the will of the people led to even deeper gerrymandering, multiple lawsuits and two costly primaries in 2022 — one in May for U.S. Senate, Congress and statewide offices and one in August for the state lawmakers. That primary saw a less than 7% turnout.

More: Ohio has a new voter ID law. Here's what you need to know for the May election

Our View: DeWine, LaRose, Faber, Huffman, Cupp shouldn't get away with slap to voters' faces

Erosion of voting rights and access

Legislators have successfully rolled back voting rights.

In 2022, lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine approved changes to Ohio’s election laws that restrict drop boxes to one per country, prohibit most curbside voting and require photo IDs at the polls. Voters can no longer use utility bill or bank statement with a current Ohio address to prove residency.

Opponents say the ID requirement disenfranchises students, the elderly, military voters and people of color.

The defeat of Issue 1 shows the power Ohioans have at the ballot box.

It is a power that worries lawmakers who know their radical agenda does not align with the will of the majority of Ohioans when it comes to abortion, minimum wage, gun safety, voting rights, workers' rights and a host of other issues critical to our lives in Ohio.

This is why they tried to steal a right Ohioans have had for 111 years. Voters have the power to go to the polls and change the constitution when they are ignored by lawmakers who refuse to represent their will.

The defeat of Issue 1 was a victory for democracy, but the game is not over.

We must all be vigilant and join the fight to preserve voting rights and the power of each Ohio voter.

This piece was written by the Dispatch Opinion Editor Amelia Robinson on behalf of The Dispatch Editorial Board. Editorials are our board's fact-based assessment of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Defeated Issue 1 a wakeup call for Ohio voters| Editorials