Ohio ballot initiative to make it more difficult to amend state constitution fails

An Ohio ballot initiative to make it harder to amend the state constitution, a change conservatives said was needed to protect the state from a radical liberal agenda, has failed to pass in a lopsided vote.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected State Issue 1 by a large margin on Tuesday, meaning the threshold for future ballot measures to pass will remain at 50% rather than the 60% the initiative would have required had it passed.

The race was called by the Associated Press.

OHIO SEES MASSIVE VOTER TURNOUT ON GOP BALLOT QUESTION TO PROTECT STATE CONSTITUTION FROM LIBERAL ACTIVISTS

The State Capitol of Ohio in Columbus, Ohio. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The failure of the initiative to pass also means the path for another ballot measure on whether to codify the “right” to an abortion into the state constitution could have an easier time passing.

The issue prompted a massive early vote turnout – one that had some election offices straining to manage the load. 

As of last Wednesday, more than 533,000 people had voted by mail or in person since early voting began July 11, according to data collected by the Associated Press. That’s nearly double the final early voting figures for Ohio’s two previous midterm primary elections, which included races for governor and Congress.

Supporters and opponents of a GOP-backed measure that would make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution packed the statehouse rotunda Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio ahead of the Ohio House’s vote. (AP Photo/Samantha Hendrickson, File)

Democrat opponents of the measure made the argument that the initiative would take away power from voters and give it to politicians. They also focused their opposition largely on abortion.

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Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.