Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year.
This isn’t just about abortion, I don’t get why all the headlines are focusing on that
It’s really hard to see why this is a partisan issue, “let’s make it hard to change the constitution” doesn’t really sound like an inherently right-wing position.
The GOP regularly violates their own rules and norms whenever it suits them. Small government? Personal freedom?
The reason people focus on the abortion angle is because there is a vote to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution in November. This bill would apply to that vote. It would also make it harder to try again and harder to have grassroots initiatives in general.
I wonder why changing the constitution is suddenly an issue the Ohio GOP wants to vote on…
Amending the constitution is how states pass laws. This isn’t like the US constitution.
That and this issue was brought up by conservatives in proactive response to an abortion vote in November.
Headlines are focusing on abortion because this proposal was very clearly meant to make it substantially harder for the later vote on an amendment to protect abortion rights to succeed. The GOP knows that, when put to a direct vote, at least 50% will vote for legal abortion. But in a state like Ohio, 60% just might be a realistic ceiling.
I mean, do you really think it was a coincidence that this proposal was done in this particular moment?
It’s because the right want to make sure the people can’t go and do something like enshrine fundamental rights like reproductive freedom. Safe from their meddling