Ohio

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers. Voters enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution by a 13-point margin, but the legislature introduced a total ban anyway. The attorney general resigned to join an organization the SPLC designates as an anti-LGBTQ hate group. Misleading ballot language written by the Republican-controlled Ballot Board killed redistricting reform 53.7% to 46.3%.

The November 2026 governor’s race between Vivek Ramaswamy and Dr. Amy Acton is a dead heat.

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Voters said yes to abortion rights and legislators said no

Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting abortion access in November 2023. The margin was 56.62%, roughly 2.2 million votes out of 3.8 million cast. The amendment protects abortion before fetal viability and at any point when a physician determines a threat to the patient’s life or health.

Before the vote even happened, legislators tried to rig the rules. In August 2023, they created a special election to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments from 50% to 60%. Voters defeated that maneuver 57% to 43% in an unusually high-turnout August election.

56.62% of Ohio voters approved the abortion rights amendment in November 2023

None of that stopped HB 370. Introduced in June 2025 by Reps. Levi Dean (R-Xenia) and Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), the “Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act” defines a fertilized egg as a person from “the moment of fertilization.” The bill’s language invokes “the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God.” Under HB 370, having an abortion could lead to homicide charges.

Even Ohio Right to Life opposes it because it would criminalize mothers. A Capital University Law School professor called it “little more than a publicity stunt” and said any “rational court” would rule it unconstitutional given how directly it violates the Ohio Constitution. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has not received a hearing.

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Ballot language designed to confuse voters killed redistricting reform

Ohio’s redistricting process has been broken for years. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled five times that state legislative maps were unconstitutional and struck down congressional maps twice. Politicians defied those court orders repeatedly.

In November 2024, Citizens Not Politicians put Issue 1 on the ballot to replace the politician-controlled Ohio Redistricting Commission with a 15-member citizen panel of five Democrats, five Republicans, and five independents. It should have passed. It didn’t.

The Republican-controlled Ohio Ballot Board, in a 3-2 party-line vote, wrote summary language claiming the anti-gerrymandering amendment would “require gerrymandering.” Citizens Not Politicians sued. The Ohio Supreme Court upheld most of the language, requiring only two minor revisions. Justice Jennifer Brunner dissented, calling it “misleading, deceitful, and a fraud upon the voters” and demanding “a nearly complete redrafting of what is perhaps the most stunningly stilted ballot language that Ohio voters will have ever seen.”

The measure failed 53.7% to 46.3%. One voter who supported redistricting reform told the Statehouse News Bureau she voted No after reading the ballot because “it leads you to believe it’s causing more gerrymandering.”

What happened next	Result
Ohio Redistricting Commission drew new congressional map (Oct 2025)	12-3 Republican advantage, up from 10-5
Commission vote	7-0. Democrats voted yes because alternatives were worse.
Map duration	2026, 2028, and 2030 elections

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The attorney general quit to join a group the SPLC calls a hate group

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost resigned effective June 7, 2026 — eight months before his term ended — to become Vice President of Strategic Research and Innovation at Alliance Defending Freedom. The SPLC has designated ADF as an anti-LGBTQ hate group since 2016 because ADF “has supported the idea that being LGBTQ+ should be a crime in the U.S. and abroad.”

Days before leaving office, Yost filed a motion to dismiss 77 sexual abuse cases against Ohio State University involving Dr. Richard Strauss, who sexually abused student-athletes. Yost argued that claims of abuse before October 21, 1986 should be thrown out. Forty-three plaintiffs would lose their claims entirely. Thirty-four would lose partial claims.

State Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) said Yost is “completely betraying the needs of survivors of sexual abuse as he heads out the door.” Governor DeWine appointed Andy Wilson, a former prosecutor and Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, as caretaker AG through January. Wilson is not running for the seat in November.

25 years Yost spent in Ohio state government before leaving to join an SPLC-designated hate group

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The budget, the bathroom bill, and the care ban

Ohio’s Republican legislature attacked LGBTQ rights on three fronts in 2024-2025. The fights overlap, and the outcomes are mixed.

SB 104, the bathroom bill. Signed by DeWine on November 27, 2024 and effective February 25, 2025. Requires students in K-12 and higher education to use restrooms matching sex assigned at birth. The text was amended into an unrelated bill in June and passed the Senate 24-7 on a party-line vote. The ACLU of Ohio filed a legal challenge. A Franklin County judge initially paused the law but then allowed it to proceed during litigation.

HB 68, the gender-affirming care ban. Bans puberty blockers, hormones, and surgical care for trans minors. The Tenth District Court of Appeals overturned the ban in March 2025, finding it violates Ohio’s Health Care Freedom Amendment. But on April 29, the Ohio Supreme Court stayed that ruling — putting the ban back in effect while the appeal proceeds.

HB 96, the state budget. The budget bill included five anti-LGBTQ provisions.

HB 96 provision	Status
State policy recognizing only “two sexes, male and female”	Signed into law
Ban menstrual products from men’s restrooms in public buildings	Signed into law
Restrict youth access to LGBTQ+ books at libraries	Vetoed by DeWine
Ban state funds to youth shelters affirming gender transition	Vetoed by DeWine
Ban Pride flags from state buildings	Vetoed by DeWine

DeWine vetoed 67 line items total, the most during his tenure. The legislature overrode one veto (property tax provisions), but did not override the LGBTQ-specific vetoes.

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The governor’s race is a dead heat

Governor Mike DeWine is term-limited. The November 3, 2026 election pits Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire and 2024 presidential candidate, against Dr. Amy Acton, DeWine’s state health director during the COVID pandemic. Ramaswamy has endorsements from Trump and DeWine.

His running mate is Ohio Senate President Rob McColley. Acton’s running mate is David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.

An earlier Ohio Environment Council poll found Acton leading by 10 points among likely voters in March, a shift from earlier surveys that showed Ramaswamy with a comfortable lead. The 20-point gender gap will define this race. Whoever drives turnout among their base wins.

The attorney general’s seat is also open after Yost’s resignation. Republican Keith Faber (current state auditor) is the frontrunner. The next governor will shape enforcement of the abortion amendment and redistricting for the rest of the decade.

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What’s next

The HB 370 abortion ban sits in the House Judiciary Committee with no hearing scheduled. If it advances, courts will almost certainly block it under the 2023 constitutional amendment. The Ohio Supreme Court will rule on the gender-affirming care ban (HB 68) sometime before the end of 2026, a decision that will affect thousands of trans youth statewide.

The 12-3 congressional map is locked in for three election cycles. Without a new redistricting reform effort, Ohio’s maps will not change until 2031 at the earliest. The governor elected in November will appoint the next attorney general if the seat becomes vacant again and will set the direction on enforcement of every law on this page.

Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration. The November 3 governor’s race is a dead heat. Verify your status at ohiosos.gov/elections/voters.

2. Know the abortion amendment. Ohio’s constitutional protection is in effect regardless of what the legislature introduces. If you need care, the amendment protects abortion before fetal viability. Read the full text.

3. Track the gender-affirming care case. The Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling on HB 68 will directly affect families seeking care for trans minors. Follow ACLU of Ohio for updates on Moe v. Yost.

4. Call your state representative. 614-466-8842 (Ohio House switchboard). Ask whether they support HB 370 and whether they plan to override DeWine’s LGBTQ-related vetoes.

5. Show up at town halls. Your state legislators voted on the bathroom bill, the budget’s anti-LGBTQ provisions, and the redistricting maps. Ask them to defend those votes in person.