Restore Roe: Ohio - Red Wine and Blue

Get Ready Ohio!

The wait is over, the time is now. A ballot initiative to enshrine reproductive rights in Ohio is in the works for 2023!

This is our chance to do what our neighbors up north in Michigan did last year – restore and protect reproductive rights and abortion access through a constitutional amendment. With your help – and if we gather enough signatures – ABORTION WILL be on our November 2023 statewide general election ballot.

GET INVOLVED



Check Your Voter Registration

Make sure your registration is up-to-date and ready to go before signing the petition.



Learn

Connect live with other RWB women to learn how you can make an impact right now.



Read

A summary and full text of the proposed amendment.



Events and Training

Engage with coalition partners to become part of the grassroots network.



Ballot Signature Collection Events

Find a location and sign today. And don’t forget to bring a friend!

Question & Answer

How many signatures are needed to get this on the ballot?

We need around 800,000 in-person signatures. That sounds like a lot — and it is! Here’s the math: we need valid signatures numbering 10% of the voters from the last gubernatorial election. Since about 4.2 million Ohioans voted in the 2022 DeWine v Whaley election, we’ll need to collect about 420,000 valid signatures statewide. But because every signature needs to be validated, we actually need to collect double that amount – around 800,000. And keep in mind, these need to be in-person signatures – you can’t sign online.

Why would a signature be invalid?

Reasons for disqualification

signature on the petition doesn’t match the one on in the voting file
the signer has moved or isn’t registered to vote.

We also need to make sure that those signatures are collected from across the state. The requirement is to gather signatures from 5% of the gubernatorial voters from each of 44 counties in the states (that’s half of Ohio’s 88 counties!). 800,000 signatures from 44 counties is a heavy lift, but we can do this, Ohio!!

When do the signatures need to be collected by?

July 5, 2023

What if we don't collect the signatures in time?

Signatures collected don’t expire. If we don’t collect the required amount in time, we can still get the initiative on the ballot for 2024. But we’re going to do everything we can to make this happen for 2023 to restore access to abortion and help women in need NOW.

If I signed the petition already, do I need to sign it again?

Yes. If you signed the petition in late February, you need to sign the petition when the main push to gather 800,000 signatures begins. What you signed then was the initial phase of signature collection to file ballot language with the Ohio Attorney General.

What is the status of abortion in Ohio right now?

After the Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade last summer, an Ohio law banning abortions after 6 weeks’ gestation immediately went into effect. However, the courts soon placed an injunction on that law, and abortion up to 22 weeks is currently legal in Ohio. This injunction won’t stay in place forever, though, so we need to enshrine reproductive freedom and abortion access into the Ohio Constitution. That’s what this ballot initiative will ensure.

CURRENT LANDSCAPE

The ACLU of Ohio has been defending abortion access across the state through the courts for decades. Learn more about the anti-abortion bills they have challenged and their current status.

u

Is Abortion Legal in Ohio?

Learn what your rights are today and what is at stake in the future.

UNITING FOR ONE CAUSE