ATHENS, Ohio — After months of work with hundreds of partner organizations throughout the state, today Ohio voters defeated Issue 1 by a large margin. The ballot measure would have severely restricted the ability of citizens to amend their constitution and further empowered the Republican supermajority in Columbus.
The following is a statement from Ohio Organizing Manager Brent Edwards:
Rural Organizing has been tirelessly at work speaking to voters in small towns and rural communities about the harm that Issue 1 would have done. Rural voters are on our side on the issues that matter most — reproductive rights, a fair minimum wage and common-sense gun reforms. Voters would be powerless to protect these if Issue 1 had passed.
Though this attack on our democracy has been stopped for now, our activists and organizers are now preparing for November’s election, where a reproductive rights ballot measure is up for vote.
And they’re preparing for more than November. Our local staff and volunteers are gaining the skills to be the campaign managers, spokespeople and candidates who will lead rural Ohio to a more vibrant and prosperous future in the years to come.
RuralOrganizing.org engaged voters in every precinct of Athens County on Issue 1, with over 8,200 voter contact attempts and distributed almost 1000 yards signs, which were a hot commodity. We will expand our canvassing efforts to nearby counties in the fall.
“The mission of RuralOrganizing.org is to rebuild a rural America that is empowered, thriving, and equitable. Follow us on Twitter @RuralOrganizing.”
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