Abortion rights advocates confident as amendment signatures due

Advocates behind a proposed amendment for abortion rights in Ohio feel confident they've collected more than 413,000 valid signatures from registered voters to place the measure on the November ballot.

Driving the news: Today is the deadline for submitting the signatures, which must come from voters in at least half of the state's 88 counties (meaning they cannot all be collected in larger, bluer regions).

• Organizers plan to file the signatures with the Secretary of State at 10am.

Why it matters: If the amendment makes it to the November ballot and voters approve it, it would preserve abortion access in a state that's been a conservative front for opposing abortion.

What they're saying: Organizers declined to say how many signatures they've collected.

• "We are on track to hit or possibly exceed our goal," Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights spokesperson Susan Shaw told Axios.

What's next: Once the signatures are submitted, the Secretary of State must determine their validity no later than 105 days before the election, which is set for Nov. 7.

Meanwhile, in an Aug. 8 special election, Ohioans will vote on a proposal to raise the passage threshold for future constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%.

• The August election, initiated by Republican state lawmakers, is widely seen as an attempt to prevent the proposed abortion rights amendment from passing in November.