On Tuesday, Ohio voters resoundingly rejected Issue One, an attempt by Republican legislators to change the rules of the state's ballot initiative process designed to sabotage an upcoming vote on an amendment to protect reproductive rights.
Republicans had clearly hoped that this rules change would fly under the radar in a low-turnout August vote. It didn't pan out that way. Activists on the ground in Ohio recognized the threat, mobilized to get national attention, and successfully got out the vote around the state. Our organization, Indivisible, was one of several national networks to support them. Once again, the pro-choice, pro-democracy side won out.
It's becoming clear: a little more than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the decision has created an electoral undertow that is pulling Republicans out to sea. One might dismiss a single referendum, special election, or midterm as a fluke. But the aggregate data of the last 14 months paints a clear picture.
In the 2022 midterms, Republicans dramatically underperformed expectations for an out-of-party power facing an unpopular incumbent in a rocky economy, narrowly pulling out a win in the House while losing the vast majority of statewide swing-state races as well as a seat in the Senate. In 2023's special elections, Democrats are performing on average 7.5 points above President Joe Biden's 2020 performance.
Where there's a direct line to abortion, candidates are performing especially strongly—for an example, look no further than the states Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, where Judge Janet Protasiewicz put reproductive freedom at the center of her campaign and won with a whopping 11-point margin. And of course, from Kansas to Ohio, voters are resoundingly rejecting anti-choice politics in referendum votes. There's a reason Republicans are leaning in on anti-democratic measures like Issue One: they've overreached and now they're desperately trying to stave off the consequences.
The defeat of Issue One offers a series of lessons for all of us.
First, when given the chance, voters demand reproductive freedom. There is not a single state in the country where a majority of voters approve of the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe. The fact that in more than 20 states, abortion is banned, heavily restricted, or functionally impossible to obtain reflects the extremism of Republican elected officials and the Republican primary voters they are trying to appease—not the median voter.
Second, when faced with the reality that their policies are deeply unpopular, Republicans are responding not by moving closer to public opinion but by trying to change the rules, so their preferences prevail over the will of their voters. Ohio is not the only state where the ballot initiative process has come under fire as abortion has moved to center stage—similar efforts have been underway in Missouri, North Dakota and Idaho. The map of states that have restricted voting rights and states that have restricted abortion rights over the last few years overlaps heavily, with Mississippi and Texas being just a couple memorable examples.
Abortion rights and democracy are tightly interlinked. Republicans are clear on this connection, and we must be too.
Third, it's time for Democrats to recognize that reproductive freedom is a winning issue for us. There are still voices within the Democratic Party calling for tepid language, dodging the issue, and ostensibly poll-tested "compromises" like ensuring that rape victims and minors can access abortion, instead of demanding reproductive freedom for all. These arguments are wrong on the substance - as abortion providers have been noting for decades, rape exemptions to abortion bans are almost entirely illusory in practice—and they're wrong on the politics. Voters aren't looking for ambivalence here. They're looking for champions.
The path forward is clear. Democrats need to let go of their historic hesitance towards running on reproductive freedom. We must lean in, making sure that in as many places as possible, this issue is at the top of voters' minds as they head to the polls. Our own recent polling in Arizona showed placing an abortion rights measure on the ballot could be a smart strategy to drive pro-choice voter enthusiasm and turnout. We've seen, over and over again, how the fight to protect our democracy and the fight for our personal freedoms are inextricably linked—now we need to make the case to the voters.
Leah Greenberg is the co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, a group dedicated to building progressive grassroots power and holding members of Congress accountable.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
