Chop Wood, Carry Ohio 5/14

Hi, all, and happy Mother’s Day to anyone who celebrates it.

It’s a great day to step up to help win the right to abortion in Ohio.  

Last Wednesday the GOP-controlled Ohio state legislature ignored their constituents’ voices and voted to put an initiative on the ballot for an August 8, 2023, special election. The initiative, called HJR1, would require a 60% majority to amend Ohio’s Constitution. I wrote you about this last month. HJR1 is intended to defeat a proposed state constitutional amendment that would give Ohio women the right to abortion. 

A progressive coalition is currently gathering the signatures necessary to put the pro-choice amendment on the ballot in November, 2023.  Although the Republicans claim that they are proposing the 60% initiative as a way of protecting Ohio’s Constitution from outside influencers, it is a transparent attempt to stop the pro-choice initiative.  

The August 8 special election date means that we only have three months to organize to defeat this initiative.  The right is going to pour lots of cash into passing HJR1.  Hannah Ledford, who is heading up the No on HJR1 campaign, estimates that it will take $11.6 million to defeat the 60% initiative. (!!)

The Ohio Democratic Party, led by Liz Walters, will be organizing to stop HJR 1.  It now has organizing teams in 63 of Ohio’s counties, and they have a goal of knocking on 523,000 doors and making 135,000 calls.  

I strongly recommend donating to the Ohio Democratic Party if you can to help them stop HJR1. By doing so, you will not only help make abortion legal in Ohio, you will also help the Ohio Dems build their canvassing and data collection operations.  A stronger Ohio Democratic Party will have greater capacity to help pass the pro-choice initiative this November, if its sponsors succeed in getting enough petition signatures.  And the organizing work that will be done to defeat HJR1 in August, and to pass the abortion Amendment in November, will also lay the foundation for a stronger grassroots organizing effort for Sherrod Brown’s critical 2024 Senate race, and for other Ohio Dem candidates in 2024 and beyond. 

Please contribute to the Ohio Democratic Party here.

With enough effort and focus, we can turn a bad thing into a good thing.  For the next three months, we have a chance to turn the very bad HJR1 into a great outcome, by using it to identify and mobilize pro-choice voters, and to build a grassroots network that will help win the right to abortion and re-elect Sherrod Brown in 2024. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to help by donating here.  

And please pass this email along to others who might lend a hand. Thanks, all!

Jess