On Aug. 8, Ohio voters rejected Issue 1 with a 57.01% vote. Issue 1 was a Republican-crafted proposal designed to radically change the rules for amending the Ohio Constitution by popular vote. These reforms, called Citizen-Initiated Constitutional Amendments, can be proposed by collecting signatures from 50 percent of all Ohio counties—amounting to 44 of the total 88—with the number of signatures in each county equaling at least five percent of the total vote cast for the previous gubernatorial election. Amendments can be passed with a simple majority vote of 50 percent plus one. Issue 1 would have raised both requirements: Signatures from all 88 counties would have been required to propose amendments, and a 60% majority vote would have been required to pass amendments. With the defeat on Aug. 8, the rules remained the same.

The will of the majority is the backbone of all democratic societies. The Observer recognizes and contends that the victory in the August 8 election is a victory for democracy in Ohio.

The impetus for Issue 1 can be found in a future abortion rights amendment on the November ballot called “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety.” The legislation would enshrine the right to get an abortion in the Ohio Constitution and prevent the government from any action that would deny this right. Exceptions would be allowed at the point of fetal viability, which is where, only under the judgment of the patient’s physician, “the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus”; the exact point would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

This amendment is essential in protecting reproductive freedom in Ohio. Already, California, Michigan and Vermont have guaranteed the right to abortion in their constitutions. And in Kansas and Kentucky, voters rejected Republican measures to deny the right to abortion. Millions of Americans are standing in solidarity in support of the right for pregnant people to make their own decisions regarding their pregnancy, and Ohio has an opportunity to join them.

Abortion is not the only referendum on the November ballot. A marijuana legalization proposal, called Issue 2, would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis. Marijuana bans have a notoriously racist history all across the country, including Ohio, where Black Ohioans are more likely to be arrested for possession of the substance compared to white Ohioans. Easing restrictions for possession of marijuana would help to combat these racist effects.

The August 8 special election and the November election are a testament to the significance of participating in local and statewide politics. Federal politics consistently takes up space in the news media and the conversations we have in our everyday lives. Whether through Congress, the current administration or the Supreme Court, we have all been made to believe that casting a vote in the current federal election is the best way to enact change in the United States. But when federal movements fail at the behest of a group of federal officials, as was the case with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, local movements can safeguard against any further injustices. We should not take local elections for granted; they are the best vehicle for change.

The upcoming November election will take place on Nov.  7 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10. No matter your reasons for participating, everyone’s voice matters and deserves to be heard. We at The Observer strongly encourage all eligible voters to participate. The mark you make on your ballot will change the future of Ohio for years to come.