Burgess: Issue 1 defeated, a win for democracy

Observers of Ohio politics were not surprised that Issue 1 was defeated. The move by Ohio’s Republicans to limit our democracy was seen mostly as a way to make it nearly impossible for supporters of abortion rights to pass their amendment codifying those rights in November. Around the nation, several other states had already passed such amendments, but all by less than 60%. So, though Republicans at the Statehouse knew a majority of Ohioans favor letting women make their own decisions about their bodies, they figured they could placate their extremist supporters by making it just too hard for democracy—rule of the people—to work for Ohio. It was a longshot, asking voters to give up their own rights, but at least the Statehouse Republicans could remain true to their big-dollar and extremist supporters.

In addition to the majority of Ohioans favoring women’s rights, there was strong opposition to Issue 1 from Ohio’s unions, such as AFL and OEA, and various other groups. Union leaders knew that the real motivation for the effort to derail Ohio democracy with a 60% requirement may have been aimed at stopping progressive groups from bypassing the heavily gerrymandered legislature and raising the minimum wage, for instance. Ohio’s minimum wage now stands at $10.10 per hour—not the lowest or highest in the nation, but in any case, not a living wage. And there are rumors that a minimum wage issue could be placed on an upcoming Ohio ballot.

To the state’s credit, several of Ohio’s former governors came out against Issue 1, opposing our current Governor, DeWine. Democratic Governors, Dick Celeste and Ted Strickland, were joined by two Republicans, Bob Taft and John Kasich. It was gratifying, and a good sign for the health of our society, that some Republicans opposed this threat to Ohio democracy.

Celeste played a major role by becoming a spokesperson for the opposition, with television appearances and by rallying former supporters to work hard and smart against Issue 1. Celeste served Ohio for eight years in the ‘80’s, shoring up our lagging tax structure and signing some of the most progressive public-sector labor law in the nation. He put together a large crew of very talented folks, all of whom supported women’s rights and who strongly opposed this recent attempt to weaken them. Serving in his administration, as Chief of Arbitration Services in the newly created Office of Collective Bargaining, I knew well his commitment to equal rights for women, as women played prominent roles in the government and as we did seemingly small, but important things like taking sexist language out of government documents and communications. Celeste supporters are a varied group, but all share the goal of gender justice. Led by Jan Allen, they were a-buzz on the internet, wrote letters, put up yard signs, made phone calls, and whatever else they could to help with the cause.

And here in Ross County, the Democratic Party, led by Dona Meyer and others, put on big effort as well, with meetings, yard signs, phone calls, and more.

So what happens next? An issue guaranteeing Ohio’s women their right of choice in abortion will be on the November ballot. As important as that is, Democrats and Ohio citizens of good will should build on this time of rejuvenation and energy. Increasing the minimum wage would be a good idea. So would increased funding for Ohio’s public schools. Not least of all is the need to re-elect Sherrod Brown to the US Senate, not just because his service deserves re-election, but because the US Senate is closely divided—and that divided Senate is struggling to do basic things, like approve Presidential appointees in a timely way.

Then there’s the US House race. The current US House of Representatives seems bent on endless investigations of Hunter Biden—not a Federal official—and other efforts to just embarrass President Biden. The energy from this recent election, and the likely high turnout in the fall, could give a boost to Democrats in some of the US House races as well, such as that of Samantha Meadows in the 2nd district.

So Democrats, and well-intentioned Republicans, have won a victory against out-of-state big money and entrenched Republican corruption in government. Let’s see if they can continue that momentum in November.

Jack Burgess is a retired history teacher and former labor relations practitioner.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Burgess: Issue 1 defeated, a win for democracy