Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com
Staff article
CLEVELAND,Ohio-The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, which is led by party chair David Brock and vice-chair state Rep. Juanita Brent, will host an election night watch party this evening as results of today's Nov. 7 general election in Ohio trickle in.
Th event begins at 7:30 pm at county party headquarters on Superior Ave near downtown Cleveland.
" We are hosting an election night watch party with free pizza, " a county Democratic party operative told Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's black digital news leader.
Issue 1 is on Ohio's Nov. 7 ballot and, if passed by Ohio voters, it would enshrine the legal right to abortion and other reproductive measures for women in the Ohio Constitution. Also on the Nov. 7 statewide ballot is recreational marijuana, and Issue 38, an activist proposal that would set aside a segment of the city of Cleveland funds for the community, is on Cleveland's ballot, as are some competitive Cleveland Municipal Court judge races. There are also a few issues on suburban ballots as well as candidates running for mayor, city council and open school board seats.
Nearly 900,000 Ohioans have voted early, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican who has campaigned against issue 1 alongside Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who has promised to end abortion access in Ohio. Only time will tell and today's election on Issue 1 may be a loser for Republicans.
Women's March Cleveland, Northeast Ohio's' largest grassroots women's rights group, made its last pitch before Ohio's Nov. 7 election on abortion ballot Issue 1 with a rally on the steps of Cleveland City Hall on Saturday, Nov 4, a diverse event that included community activists and elected officials as speakers as well as Councilman Kevin Conwell's FootPrints band.
Last year, on June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Dobbs vs Mississippi Health Organization, which was on appeal to the nation's highest court, overturned Roe v Wade, the court's 1973 landmark decision that made abortion legal nationwide The court also gave individual states the authority to legislate abortion and reproductive rights not regulated by federal law, including to restrict or outright outlaw the procedure altogether. It, no doubt, caused a firestorm of protests throughout the country, including in Ohio, a pivotal state for presidential elections that has trended red in recent elections.
More than 14 states have near-total abortion bans during any point in pregnancy in effect, and at least six states have implemented abortions bans with other limits from six to 20 weeks bans. Ohio has a six-week abortion ban dubbed the heartbeat bill that is on hold per a judge's ruling as lawsuits over the controversial state law make their way through the courts. If issue 1 passes it would negate the heartbeat bill and other anti- choice legislation cooked-up by Ohio's Republican- dominated state legislature.
Ohio will become the seventh state in the country to vote on abortion rights behind Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Vermont, Montana and California. All those states had either proposals that enshrined the right to an abortion, or that allowed the state to regulate abortion.
