DAYTON — Huge changes could be coming to Ohio on at least two controversial topics, but voters will have the final say.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell explains how the major issues voters will decide on in August and November when it comes to marijuana and abortions in Ohio.
The battle over abortion rights will likely be on the ballot in both August and November. And the deadline to make your voices heard is fast approaching. You must be registered to vote by July 10 for the August special election.
And people are already dropping off signatures trying to put the abortion issue on the ballot in November.
Two U-Hauls, 400 boxes, and more than 700,000 signatures have been gathered by Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, the group turned them in 24 hours ago to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
At least 413,000 must be valid to place the abortion issue on the ballot.
Lauren Blauvelt with Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom said, “As a woman, this issue is critical to my life, critical to my family’s life.”
Blauvelt said her group’s proposal enshrines abortion rights int the state constitution. It guarantees legal abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Pro-life groups claim with a doctor’s consent, abortions would be legal through all nine months of pregnancy. They said the proposal guarantees late-term abortions and would do away with parental consent.
Mike Gonidakis, with Ohio Right to Life, said, “A 14 or 15-year-old girl could sidestep their parents, could have an angry boyfriend, they could be a victim of human trafficking and mom and dad would never know and force them to have an abortion.
The Secretary of State said the group’s signatures must come from at least half of the state’s 88 counties. They must be signed by at least 5% of electors in that county. And the address on the petition must match the registered address for that Ohio voter.
However, state lawmakers already basically have abortion on the ballot. They authorized a special August election that proposes the percentage of voters needed to change the state constitution, which the abortion issue would, from 50%, plus one to 60%.
Gonidakis said, “After spending $1 million, they couldn’t even turn in 800,000 signatures or a million as they claimed they were going to do, so underwhelming at best for them.”
Kellie Copeland with Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom said, “A people united will never be defeated, we will win in August, where we will vote no and we will win in November when we vote yes.”
If you register by Monday, July 10, the early voting on the special election is already open. The last day to register for an absentee ballot is August 1. In-person voting begins on August 8th.
There is another group asking for its signatures to be reviewed and place their issue on the statewide ballot in November.
The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana and Alcohol turned in 220,000 signatures to the Secretary of State at Wednesday’s deadline.
The group has a lower threshold, needing only 124,000 valid signatures to be on the ballot since it’s not trying to change the state’s constitution.
If it makes the November ballot, the issue would allow voters to decide if they want marijuana legalized for adult use.
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