On Tuesday, Ohio voters rejected “Issue 1” by a 57-43 majority which paves the way for a constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion rights. Had the Republican-driven Issue 1 been approved, new OH constitutional amendments would have required a 60% voting majority to pass.
The Ohio GOP called this special election in a “hail Mary” attempt to prevent passage of a citizen-driven constitutional amendment that guarantees abortion rights. Amendment petitions had already been submitted to the state; petitioners got 70% more signatures than required.
Also on Tuesday, Arizona for Abortion Access (with the backing of the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and NARAL) launched a citizen-backed constitutional amendment ensuring access to the procedure for Arizonans. Read more about this here.
The goal is to collect 500,000 signatures by July 3, 2024. No problem. My bet is that we’ll “blow the doors” off that signature number. Count on seeing this initiative on our November 2024 ballot. None of this will sit well with our Republican-dominated legislature; it reconvenes in January.
An overwhelming majority of Arizona voters supports having this measure on our ballot. It will likely drive voter turnout to new heights. When we get this passed, we’ll be following the lead of Michigan, Vermont and California. We are part of something VERY, VERY BIG, here.
LD3 Dems is putting together a plan to provide and circulate petitions across our vast landscape. We expect petitions to become available in the coming weeks and we will be ready to launch.
If you are ready to throw your hat in the ring now, please complete our volunteer form and note in the comment that you are interested in helping to circulate petitions. You will be connected with the Field Director for your area in LD3. We are also seeking notaries, so if you are a notary, please note that in the comment.
LD3 Dems will offer training on collecting signatures for this proposed constitutional amendment. This is more involved than candidate nominating petitions and we want to ensure an extraordinary signature validation rate. Once you learn the ropes, it’s easy. Knowing the ropes is key.