美联社预计，俄亥俄州的第一期将失败，这是堕胎权利倡导者的胜利。共和党支持的投票倡议将提高修改该州宪法的门槛，使今年晚些时候将堕胎权纳入该州宪法的措施更难通过。

对议题1投赞成票意味着宪法修正案，包括堕胎修正案，将需要60%的支持，而不是现有的最低50%加1。如果第一个问题通过了，提高的门槛将立即实施。

问题1还将为公民主导的措施在选票上出现创造更严格的签名要求。目前，组织者必须从俄亥俄州88个县中的一半收集相当于上次州长选举投票数5%的签名。如果议题1通过，组织者将需要所有88个县的签名。

此外，第1期将消除10天疗法在此期间，公民可以替换任何被国家拒绝的签名。

对问题1投反对票意味着维持现有的要求，即在简单多数的支持下，通过投票倡议修改国家宪法。

周二晚上，乔·拜登总统发表声明支持选民的决定。

“今天，俄亥俄州选民拒绝了共和党议员和特殊利益集团改变该州宪法修正案程序的努力。”他的陈述开始了。“这项措施公然试图削弱选民的声音，进一步削弱妇女做出自己的医疗保健决定的自由。俄亥俄州人的声音响亮而清晰，今晚民主取得了胜利。"

特别选举的早期投票率飙升，自6月23日提前投票开始以来，超过696，900人通过邮件或亲自投票。

批评者谴责周二的选举是俄亥俄州共和党试图改变选举规则以破坏11月堕胎投票措施的仓促行动。

“让我告诉你这个问题一直是关于什么的:堕胎和生殖自由，”州参议员肯特·史密斯在一份声明中说录像敦促俄亥俄州人投票反对1号议题。“从一开始，俄亥俄州共和党人就一直试图让俄亥俄州人更难收回他们近50年的合法权利，以能够做出自己的生殖健康保健决定。...共和党人试图操纵11月对堕胎权修正案的否决，这就是为什么8月8日的‘否决’投票如此关键。”

2023年8月8日，俄亥俄州希利亚德，一面美国国旗在指导俄亥俄州人在萨普六年级学校投票的标志旁迎风飘扬。

萨曼莎·亨德里克森/美联社

共和党人为议题1辩护说，这是为了保护俄亥俄州的州宪法不受特殊利益集团的影响。

“对第一个问题投赞成票，以保护俄亥俄州的价值观，维护人民的权力[和]捍卫俄亥俄州的宪法，”发微博俄亥俄州共和党。

但据报道，俄亥俄州共和党的一名高级官员承认该党事实上围绕议题1组织，部分是为了阻止今年11月对堕胎权的投票，还有其他动机。

“这完全是为了不让激进的堕胎修正案进入我们的宪法。左派想在今年11月把它塞进去，”国务卿弗兰克·拉罗斯说在一次活动上说据WCMH当地电视台报道，今年5月。

拉罗斯后来补充了他的评论，说堕胎只是他支持议题1的“许多原因之一”。“这只是为了保护宪法免受许多坏主意的影响，”他说。

俄亥俄州是今年唯一一个投票支持堕胎权的州。该修正案将在俄亥俄州宪法中确立“生殖自由的基本权利”，并在五个方面提供保护:避孕、生育治疗、继续妊娠、流产护理和堕胎。

2022年，类似的措施为堕胎权利倡导者带来了几次胜利。加利福尼亚州、密歇根州和佛蒙特州的选民将堕胎权写入了他们的州宪法。堪萨斯州和肯塔基州否决了修改宪法的倡议，声称他们不保护堕胎的权利。

Voters in Ohio reject change to state’s constitution

Delivering a win for abortion rights advocates, Ohio’s Issue 1 will fail, the Associate Press projects. The Republican-backed ballot initiative would have increased the threshold to amend the state's constitution, making it more difficult for a measure that would enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution to pass later this year.

A "yes" vote on Issue 1 meant that constitutional amendments, including the abortion amendment, would have needed 60% support, rather than the existing minimum of 50% plus one. The increased threshold would have been put into place immediately if Issue 1 had passed.

Issue 1 also would have created more strict signature requirements for citizen-led measures to appear on the ballot. Currently, organizers must collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election from half of Ohio’s 88 counties. If Issue 1 had passed, organizers would have needed signatures from all 88 counties.

Additionally, Issue 1 would have eliminated the 10-daycureperiod, during which citizens can replace any signatures rejected by the state.

A "no" vote on Issue 1 meant maintaining the existing requirement to amend the state constitution through a ballot initiative with the support of a simple majority.

On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden issued a statement in support of the voters' decision.

"Today, Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state’s constitutional amendment process." his statement began. "This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won."

Early voter turnout for the special election soared, with more than 696,900 people voting by mail or in person since early voting began on June 23.

Critics denounced Tuesday's election as a scrambled effort by Ohio’s GOP to alter election rules to undermine November’s abortion ballot measure.

"Let me tell you what this issue has always been about: abortion and reproductive freedom," state Sen. Kent Smith said in avideourging Ohioans to vote against Issue 1. "From the very beginning, Ohio Republicans have been trying to make it harder for Ohioans to reclaim their almost 50-year legal right to be able to make their own reproductive health care decisions. ... The Republicans are trying to rig the rejection of the abortion rights amendment in November, which is why a 'no' vote on Aug. 8 is so critical."

Republicans defended Issue 1 by saying it is an effort to protect Ohio’s state constitution from the influence of special interest groups.

"VOTE YES ON ISSUE 1 to: Protect Ohio Values, Preserve the People's Power [and] Defend Ohio's Constitution,"tweetedthe Ohio Republican Party.

But a high-ranking official in Ohio’s GOP reportedlyconcededthat the party in fact organized around Issue 1 in part to hinder the vote on abortion rights this November, among other motivations.

"This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November," Secretary of State Frank LaRosesaid at an eventin May, according to local TV station WCMH.

LaRose later added to his comments, saying that abortion is “just one of many reasons” for his support of Issue 1. “It's simply about protecting the Constitution from a whole lot of bad ideas,” he said.

Ohio is the only state set to vote on abortion rights this year. The amendment would establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” in Ohio’s constitution and provide protections across five categories: contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one's own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.

In 2022, similar measures resulted in several victories for abortion rights advocates. California, Michigan, and Vermont voters enshrined abortion rights into their state constitutions. Kansas and Kentucky struck down initiatives that would have amended their constitutions to say they do not protect the right to an abortion.