Abortion rights amendment qualifies for November ballot in Ohio

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Tuesday that organizers submitted enough valid signatures to put an amendment on the November ballot to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution.

"I hereby certify that petitioners submitted 495,938 total valid signatures on behalf of the proposed statewide initiative," LaRose wrote in a letter to petitioners, clearing the hurdle of roughly 414,000 signatures required to be placed on the ballot this fall.

The proposed amendment in Ohio would ensure "every individual has a right to make and carry out one's reproductive decisions." The statewide vote would come a year after two of Ohio's neighboring states - deep-red Kentucky and the political battleground of Michigan - supported abortion rights in their own ballot measures.

After the announcement, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters called it an "important victory for Ohio women."

"Out-of-touch politicians are relentlessly attacking women's fundamental rights, inserting themselves into women's personal, medical decisions and laying the groundwork for a total abortion ban in Ohio. In the days and weeks ahead, we look forward to telling these corrupt politicians: we won't go back," Walters said in statement.

Ahead of the November election, Ohio voters face another key vote: an August 8 special election set by the Republican-controlled legislature, in which voters will decide whether to raise the threshold for amending the state constitution from the current simple majority to 60%.

Opponents of such a special election include abortion rights activists and two of Ohio's former Republican governors, Bob Taft and John Kasich, who all point out the session is set to happen during a slow summer season where turnout is expected to be low.