Voters in the state will decide whether or not to add abortion rights to their constitution.
November 7, 2023 at 11:01 am
It’s Election Day in Ohio, and voters are heading to the polls on two statewide issues: whether access to abortion should be guaranteed and marijuana legalization.
Polls open between 6:30 am and 7:30 pm local time.
The Ohio State Building in Columbus, Ohio is shown in this undated photo.
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The importance of the state
Since 1912, Ohio citizens have had the power to initiate constitutional amendments, state laws, and veto referendums.
In the year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the issue of women’s reproductive rights has been left up to individual states, with some residents pushing to add ballot measures and vote on them directly. Tuesday’s ballot measures include the first version, which would add a right to the Ohio Constitution to “reproductive medical treatment” and prevent a ban on abortion before the fetus is viable or for the health of the mother.
The second issue on the ballot, Issue 2, is the marijuana legalization initiative. A yes vote would make Ohio the 24th state to legalize marijuana for recreational or personal use by adults over 21. It would also approve and regulate the cultivation and sale of marijuana by persons 21 years of age or older.
This article originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
