The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously approved of the ballot language for ‘The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety’ submitted by Protect Choice Ohio. The approval means that petitions can now be printed, distributed and signatures can start to be collected. If all goes as planned, petitions may be available by this weekend for distribution to volunteers.

The next step will be to collect a minimum of 413, 488 valid signatures from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. To ensure enough signatures will be valid, a total of at least 700,000 raw signatures will be the goal to collect. Petitions must be submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State by July 5, 2023. A deadline will be posted for all petitions to be submitted to a regional volunteer in the near future to ensure all petitions and signatures are submitted in a timely manner.

Since this is a non-partisan issue that would be on the 2023 November General Election ballot, Democrats, Republicans and Non-Affiliated Ohio registered voters may sign petitions.

If you are currently residing in Ohio, not a registered Ohio voter and would like to sign a petition, you may register to vote at the same time you are signing a petition. Volunteers collecting signatures will have voter registration forms.

Whether you are pro choice or not, this issue was kicked back to the states by the U.S. Supreme Court when it overturned Roe versus Wade last year. The voters of Ohio should have a say about reproductive health access instead of politicians. The only way to have our voices heard – whether voting yes or no, is to put this issue on the ballot and allow Ohioans to exercise our right to vote.

If you would like to help collect signatures or sign a petition, please contact your local county party chair here.

2.21.2023 – Full Text – Proposed Amendment

2.21.2023 – Summary – Submitted to Ohio Attorney General

For additional information, please visit here.