Abortion may not be directly on the ballot this year in Ohio, like it was last year via the constitutional amendment ballot issue known as Issue 1, but it is still a top issue driving voters to the polls, according to a survey that came out this month from Baldwin Wallace University focused on Northeast Ohio voters.
The poll found it was the second most important issue for respondents when considering their vote for president, behind the economy, and was disproportionately important to Democrats, college-educated voters, and women voters.
Ohioans voted overwhelmingly to enshrine reproductive rights into the state constitution in 2023. This year 10 other states are considering the abortion rights issue in the November election, including Florida and Arizona. The vote by the states follows the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The Ohio amendment passed by voters is facing many legal challenges, and the outcome of the three Ohio Supreme Court races on this year's ballot could shape how the amendment is implemented.
On Tuesday's "Sound of Ideas," we're going to talk about abortion and the election by talking to a local legal expert and national reporter.
Later in the hour, a recent report from the Outdoor Industry Association found that only 10% of Black people participate in outdoor recreational activities. For many in the U.S., nature has often felt like a space reserved for white people, in part due to systemic barriers that prevented Black people from having access. However, many groups are hoping to change that narrative, and make the outdoors more accessible and inclusive.
We'll explore this idea ahead of an event happening at the University of Mount Union this Thursday, featuring author Carolyn Finney, author of “Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors."
The university will be hosting Finney for a presentation and book signing on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11:15 a.m. This presentation is free and open to the public.
Guests:
-Jessie Hill, Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University & Cooperating Attorney, ACLU of Ohio
-Kate Zernike, Reporter, The New York Times
-Carolyn Finney, Ph.D., Author, "Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors"
-Erika Hood, Co-Founder, See You at the Top
