Supporters of Issue 1, which would codify reproductive rights, including abortion, in the Ohio Constitution, cheer election results on Nov. 7, 2023.
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Election year 2024 will see citizen initiatives on the ballot across the country, some focused on abortion rights. But there’s a growing trend of lawmakers altering initiatives after they have passed.
People gather at the Marion County Republican Party headquarters after discussing Issue 1 on July 13, 2023, in Marion, Ohio.
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The recent push in Ohio to pass a constitutional amendment was seen as a move to curb abortion rights. It failed. Two scholars say the ballot measure was really about minority rights in a democracy.
Voters in Michigan said ‘yes’ to Prop 3, a ballot protecting abortion rights.
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Abortion rights were on the ballot in five states during the midterm elections – all broke in favor of abortion-rights advocates.
Nurses in November 2016 expressed support for a ballot proposition to limit what California state agencies pay for prescription drugs.
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Citizens voting directly on policy seems like a good idea. But that led to the Brexit mess in the UK. In the US, two scholars say direct democracy deepens distrust of politics and government.