Greetings from western Ohio, Pro Issue 1 stronghold

👋 Sam here. This weekend, I ventured down I-75 for a wedding in western Ohio.

What I saw: Widespread Pro-Issue 1 sentiment reflected in area yard signs.

State of play: In deep-blue Cuyahoga County — especially in Cleveland — Vote Yes signs are scarce.

• Even driving west along Route 6 in Sandusky and Wood counties near Bowling Green, the white No signs significantly outnumbered the red Yes signs.

Yes, but: Down in Auglaize and Shelby Counties — sandwiched between Lima and Dayton — Yes signs dotted front lawns and were frequently paired with homemade anti-abortion signage.

Context: Voting Yes on Issue 1 would raise the threshold for amending the state constitution from 50% to 60%, which many backers view explicitly as a defense against a November ballot measure that could enshrine abortion rights in Ohio's constitution.

By the numbers: Auglaize and Shelby were two of eight Ohio counties where more than 80% of the electorate voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

The latest: A USA Today/Suffolk University poll last week found that 57% of likely Ohio voters oppose Issue 1.