amna: In the year since the
supreme court overturned roe V.
Wade, voters in several states
have shown up to overwhelmingly
support abortion rights in
ballot measures.
Future efforts to enshrine
abortion access in state
constitutions could soon face
higher hurdles.
Our Laura barron-lopez takes a
look at the battle over what
appears on the ballot.
Correspondent: Republican
legislators in multiple states
have proposed measures that
would make it harder for voters
to change state constitutions.
That includes Ohio, where, last
night, lawmakers scheduled an
August special election for a
resolution that would require
future amendments to receive 60
percent of the vote to be
adopted, that's ahead of a
pro-abortion rights effort
heading to the November ballot.
A similar bill is moving through
Missouri's legislature.
To discuss, I'm joined now by
Karen kasler of the Ohio
statehouse news bureau and
newshour communities
reporter Gabrielle hays, who is
based in Missouri.
Karen, I went to start with you.
Currently Ohio requires 50% of
the vote for ballot initiatives
to be reached.
This measure would change that
to 60% of the vote of the state
constitution to be changed.
It also requires a number of
other things like increasing
signatures from 88 counties --
excuse me, from four counties to
88 counties.
Why are Republicans doing this
now and why an August special
election?
>> They say they are doing this
to protect Ohio's constitution
from big money out-of-state
special interest area that is
the line we have been hearing,
but one of the sponsors of the
house version of the resolution
made it clear in a memo that
this was about possible
amendments coming forward on
abortion and gerrymandering,
gerrymandering relating to
Ohio's congressional and
legislative met -- map being
ruled unconstitutional.
The reproductive rights a member
is typically something that
looking toward, and they want to
get a vote and a 60% threshold
in place before voters see that
MM in November.
Correspondent: Gabrielle,
Missouri is pushing through a
similar measure that would raise
the threshold for ballot
initiatives to 57 percent vote
in support to make it into the
constitution.
Republicans say the state
constitution should not be
malleable.
>> I just hold the constitution
as something sacred.
I think it is a living document,
but I do not think it is an
ever-growing document, and
Missouri's right now is an ever
growing document.
And I personally think statute
is a good place to put a lot of
things but I think our
constitution is pretty sacred.
Correspondent: How likely will
this effort make it onto the
November ballot?
>> That is a good question.
I think that voters have voted
on ballot measures in the last
couple of years, right? So we
have seen voters use their
voices to pass certain pieces of
legislation or policy that did
not make it through the
legislature.
On one hand we have voters that
may be voted against those
ballot measures that passed in
previous years.
We are talking about one of,
whether it was medical or
recreational among other issues.
However, there are also plenty
of voters who were not very
happy about this being something
that the legislature is looking
at.
Critics argue that it is
antidemocratic, that it is
taking a wait the people's
ability to share their voices,
to participate in the democratic
system, so it is not something
that Ms. Ari's voters are taking
lightly.
Correspondent: Karen,
Republicans have admitted this
goes beyond abortion to
redistricting, Democrats in the
state say this is about
something much bigger than that.
>> This is not about Democrats
or Republicans.
It is not just about being
pro-choice or antiabortion.
At this vote is about democracy.
Those that respected, and those
that do not.
It is about whether or not you
truly want the people of Ohio to
have power.
Correspondent: What are voters
in Ohio saying about this?
>> Depends on which side they
are on.
The number of supporters tended
to be aligned with conservative
groups, evangelical Christian
groups, antiabortion
organizations, gun rights
groups.
They say the constitution is
kind of the argument you heard
in Missouri, it is sacred and it
should be difficult to amend the
constitution, Democrats have
been saying this is about these
big money special interests,
because it is actually
Republicans using that big
out-of-state special interest
money from a Republican
billionaire from Illinois to
push forward for this vote, and
this takes away voter's voice.
60% means that 40% of voters can
actually dictate what will
happen for the rest of the
state.
They are concerned about how
this takes away essentially the
voice of each person for each
vote.
Correspondent: Are you expecting
any legal challenges in Ohio?
>> There is always the
possibility of a legal
challenge.
Last month there was a law that
took effect that eliminated most
August special elections, so the
argument is there had to be
allowed to create a new August
special election for this to be
voted on, and that is not
exactly what happened.
I imagine there probably will be
litigation.
Correspondent: Gabrielle, you
mentioned previously voters the
rate ballot initiative legalized
recreational marijuana, they
expanded medicaid coverage.
As you'll reporting show a
majority of voters who may be
opposed to this initiative?
>> I can definitely say that it
seems that voters are concerned
about it.
Went recreational marijuana
passed last year, that garnered
53% of the vote, more than one
million missourians who voted
for that.
These three things you mentioned
whether we are talking about
recreational marijuana, the
expansion of medicaid, medical
marijuana, all of these things
were passed by belly initiatives
-- ballot initiatives in the
recent couple of years, so with
that said voters are concerned
that they would not have the
ability not only to participate
in a democratic system, but also
further to essentially be a
check on their own general
assembly if they feel as though
they are not passing bills that
they want to see past.
Correspondent: Since the fall of
roe, we have seen a number of
voters have supported
initiatives that increase access
to restrict -- to abortions
while Republican's are
restricting access.
>> I think Republicans believe
this will happen, but the
support from hundreds of groups
are opposed to this idea.
There is a prediction this might
not go as well as Republicans
think it might.
Correspondent: Karen and
Gabriel, thank you so much for
your time.
>> Great to be here.
♪♪