We Won! 

As you know, Issue 1 received its richly deserved drubbing on August 8. Clermont County turnout was 39.6%. “Yes” won just over 54% of the vote in Clermont County, but the difference was only 4,948 votes. No won in fifty-five of our 168 counties (including my own Pierce Township Precinct B). Most of those precincts were in the western part of the county where our canvassing efforts were more intense. While many of us dislike canvassing and some of us cannot canvass, this result shows the power of canvassing.

Other presumptively Republican counties gave “Yes” similar narrow margins. This was insufficient to overcome the huge margin in favor of No in the urban counties. This is a prime example of what we mean when we talk about “losing better.”  In a statewide race, we do not have to win Clermont County. We can win the state if we can narrow the margin in Clermont County.

Now, we need a bigger win 

The win on Issue 1 was a defensive win. Defeating Issue 1 simply preserved the rights Ohioans have had since 1912 to amend our state constitution. In November, we need to take a step further and win back the basic human rights which Ohioans lost when the U.S. Supreme Court decided Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. We do that by passing the Reproductive Freedom Amendment.

Clermont County contributed more than double the minimum number of petition signatures required to get the Reproductive Freedom Amendment on the November ballot. That fact, coupled with the relatively good performance of No on August 8, might lead you to believe that the Reproductive Freedom Amendment will do well in Clermont County. It may, but that cannot be assumed. Based on my conversations with voters leading up to and on August 8, I’m convinced that there were people who voted No on August 8 but who will also vote against the Reproductive Freedom Amendment. This means that we have a lot of work to do between now and November 7. We are going to need canvassers, postcard writers, and other volunteers. Please donate some time to regain individuals’ rights to make their own decisions on reproduction.

Stay safe and thank you  for voting No on Issue 1.