There will be more ballot initiatives regarding abortion

Ohio abortion rights supporters have submitted over 710,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office, meeting a critical deadline to attempt to get an amendment to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution on the ballot this year. This move will be closely watched around the country as activists in both red and blue states are crafting efforts to get voters to pass measures protecting abortion access during the 2024 election cycle and beyond. The effort could soon get much more complicated in Ohio, where voters will decide next month whether to make it harder to amend the state constitution. Advocates expressed confidence they will surpass the 413,000 valid signatures needed to put the question before voters, with a decision expected later this month. However, antiabortion leaders downplayed the amount of signatures gathered, calling the performance "underwhelming." A coalition of groups opposing the ballot measure has already mounted a counterattack and launched a multimillion ad buy this spring. More abortion rights ballot measures are on their way next year, with advocates pursuing ballot measures through citizen-led petitions in Florida and Missouri, and Democratic-controlled legislatures referring the question of whether to enshrine abortion protections to state voters.