Lessons from Ohio’s ‘Issue 1’ Election

On Tuesday, Ohio voted 57 percent to 43 percent against Issue 1, a ballot measure that would have increased the threshold for amending the state constitution via ballot initiative from 50 percent of votes cast to 60 percent.

The outcome was another sign of the strength the Left has shown in special elections held since the Dobbs decision in June 2022. With a referendum to add a pro-abortion amendment to the Ohio constitution looming in November, turnout for the “no” vote on Issue 1 was high. More than 3 million Ohio voters cast ballots on Issue 1 — a strong showing for an August referendum, but still 1 million fewer votes than were cast in last November’s midterms. The dropoff in turnout was steeper among Republicans than Democrats. An August election in an odd-numbered year is almost by definition going to be a base election, and the progressive base has been more revved up in special elections since June 2022. As one liberal pundit put it, “The weirdly timed election gimmick now plays into the hands of Democrats’ highly educated neurotic base.”

About the Author

John McCormack

John McCormack is a former Washington correspondent for National Review and was a fellow at the National Review Institute.

Featured Tags

On Tuesday, Ohio voted 57 percent to 43 percent against Issue 1, a ballot measure that would have increased the threshold for amending the state constitution via ballot initiative from 50 percent of votes cast to 60 percent.

The outcome was another sign of the strength the Left has shown in special elections held since the Dobbs decision in June 2022. With a referendum to add a pro-abortion amendment to the Ohio constitution looming in November, turnout for the “no” vote on Issue 1 was high. More than 3 million Ohio voters cast ballots on Issue 1 — a strong showing for an August referendum, but still 1 million fewer votes than were cast in last November’s midterms. The dropoff in turnout was steeper among Republicans than Democrats. An August election in an odd-numbered year is almost by definition going to be a base election, and the progressive base has been more revved up in special elections since June 2022. As one liberal pundit put it, “The weirdly timed election gimmick now plays into the hands of Democrats’ highly educated neurotic base.”