Columbus, OH — Today, extremists in the Ohio legislature advanced an anti-democratic proposal to change the rules of the ballot initiative process in Ohio.

Over 250 Ohio organizations and key political figures – including five former Ohio Attorneys General and four former Ohio governors – have spoken out to oppose the proposal that would increase the threshold for voter approval of Ohio constitutional amendments from 50% to 60%. This extreme proposal will now appear before voters in an August 8th Special Election, during a historically low-turnout election.

In response to today’s vote, Kellie Copeland, spokesperson for Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom released the following statement:

“The effort to undermine the ballot initiative process is a blatant attack on basic democratic principles and seeks to eliminate a commitment to majority rule that has been part of the Ohio Constitution for over 110 years.

“Politicians in Columbus are launching this attack on democracy because they’re out of touch with Ohioans, and they’re scared of being held accountable. These politicians know that their radical views on abortion care can’t win a fair vote, so they’re rigging the system. Now, those same politicians are trying to silence the voice of the majority in order to strip Ohioans of the freedom to access the reproductive health care they need.

“But Ohioans are ready to fight back. Our coalition of grassroots volunteers and esteemed Ohio organizations have already engaged hundreds of thousands of voters in communities across the state, and this move only energizes us and highlights the urgency of our work to protect the freedom to access abortion in Ohio. We are confident that Ohioans will vote to protect democracy and majority rule in August. And no matter what, we are confident that Ohioans will show up and vote to secure reproductive rights in November.”