Abortion rights have won in every state that voted on the issue since the fall of Roe v. Wade, and groups on both sides have been pouring tens of millions of dollars into off-year elections.
While Ohio is the only state that will vote directly on an abortion measure, it’s a central issue in both the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race and Virginia’s legislative elections.
Democrats have been able to ride a wave of post-Roe anger over abortion and are looking to use it as a powerful cudgel against Republicans in 2024.
Their efforts on Tuesday are likely to be a sign of whether the strategy can continue to be successful, especially as more states look to take up abortion ballot measures.
“This is an issue that resonates with the vast majority of the population. Support for abortion access is incredibly high,” said Ryan Stitzlein, vice president of political and government relations at Reproductive Freedom for All.
“And so while you have an example in Ohio, where abortion is quite literally on the ballot, our message to voters is in every race, you know, up and down the ballot, abortion is on the ballot.”
In Virginia, Democrats are hoping to gain full control of the legislature and argue a victory is the only way to ensure abortion access is protected.
Popular GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has voiced his support for a 15-week ban on most abortions with exceptions and has tried to paint his views as a moderate compromise. Abortion has been a losing issue for Republicans, but Youngkin wants to turn that around.
In Pennsylvania meanwhile, people are voting to fill a seat on the state Supreme Court. The race could decide the ideological makeup of the court in the future and further cement a Democratic majority.
Ohio is voting on a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion protections into the state’s constitution.
Anti-abortion leaders and GOP politicians acknowledge the campaign against the ballot measure is a major test of whether conservatives can prevail on the issue.
Ohio is also the first red state where voters are being asked to affirmatively vote in favor of changing the laws to protect abortion, rather than voting against the status quo.
