Ohio vote shows enduring power of abortion rights at ballot box

(9 Aug 2023)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4448392
 
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: New Albany, Ohio – 8 June 2023
1. Mary Dixon volunteering for the Ohio League of Women Voters

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Columbus, Ohio – 8 August 2023
2. STILL of Deidra Reese, statewide program manager for the Ohio Unity Coalition celebrating the defeat of Issue 1
3. STILL of people celebrating  

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago – 9 August 2023
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Burnett, Associated Press:
“Hi, I'm Sara Burnett and I'm a political reporter for the Associated Press, based in Chicago. Voters in Ohio on Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated this ballot measure that would have made it tougher in November to put abortion rights into the state constitution. So it became a kind of proxy for the November battle over whether or not abortion should be enshrined as legal procedure in the state of Ohio.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: New Albany, Ohio – 8 June 2023
5. Various of Mary Dixon volunteering for the Ohio League of Women Voters 

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Columbus, Ohio – 8 August 2023
6. STILL various of Republican Ohio Senate president Matt Huffman talking to reporters

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago – 9 August 2023
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7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Burnett, Associated Press:
“So Ohio is one of about half the states in the United States where citizens can take issues directly to voters and let them decide. It bypasses the legislature. In this case, Republicans control the legislature. They wanted on Tuesday to raise the threshold to 60% instead of a simple majority for a ballot measure to pass.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Columbus, Ohio – 8 August 2023
8. STILL of voters outside community center

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Norwood, Ohio – 6 August 2023
9. STILL protesters with signs 

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago – 9 August 2023
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10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Burnett, Associated Press:
“The turnout was very high. Record turnout for a summer election. And we saw that in Democratic cities like Columbus and Cleveland, but we also know now that the support for this measure, even in Republican places, Republican counties that supported Donald Trump for president in 2020, there was more support for voting down this measure than there was for Donald Trump in 2020.”
 
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Cincinnati - 20 July 2023
11. Various of signs concerning Issue One

ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Lewis Center, Ohio – 9 June 2023
12. Various of fliers advocating to vote against Issue One 

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago – 9 August 2023
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13. SOUNDBITE (English) Sara Burnett, Associated Press:
“Democrats see it as validation that the abortion issue is not going away and that it will continue to motivate voters all over the country, not just in liberal states or in liberal cities. They think that they can use this in 2024 when the country elects a new president and we elect new Congress, that abortion will once again be a powerful motivator. And it isn't just in liberal places. It's in places like Ohio that are run by Republicans.”
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STORYLINE:
Abortion wasn't technically on the ballot in Ohio's special election. But the overwhelming defeat of a measure that would have made it tougher to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution this fall was the latest indicator that the issue remains a powerful force at the ballot box.
 
 
 
The measure defeat also gives hope to Democrats and other abortion-rights supporters who say the matter could sway voters their way again in 2024.
 



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