Ohio has made history, and this week, we dive in to debrief the November 2023 election. Hosts James Hayes and Sarah Rodenberg talk about what’s good with Issue 1, welcoming back our very first guest on the What’s Good Ohio podcast, Jordyn Close, as well as Lena Collins, Manager of Social Impact of Ohio Women’s Alliance, to discuss this historic win. We also debrief Issue 38 with Molly Martin from PB CLE.
More than 2.1 million Ohio voters across the state came together and decisively passed Issue 1 to protect reproductive freedom and abortion rights in Ohio. Issue 1 passed with 56.6% of the vote, making it clear that Ohio is a pro-choice state.
Exit polls show 83% of Black voters in Ohio voted for Issue 1.
James references this Politico article when talking about all the groups that worked on this campaign, and how Black and brown women should be centered in this victory.
After the election, anti-abortion members of the General Assembly immediately expressed their intention to defy the will of the voters by preventing their “laws from being removed” based on our improved state constitution. Four Republican lawmakers introduced draft legislation to strip the courts of their power to interpret abortion laws.
Donate to Abortion Fund of Ohio and Ohio Women’s Alliance
In Cleveland, the charter amendment that would’ve given Cleveland residents power over how 2% of the city’s budget gets spent. Issue 38 got 48.94% of the vote, but ultimately fell 1,388 votes short of passing.