The IBEW and fellow unions in Ohio led the resounding defeat of an anti-democratic, anti-worker ballot measure this summer, turning out a record number of voters for an August election in the state.

"When we get together and pull on the rope in the same direction, we're a pretty formidable force," said Steve Crum, Fourth District international representative and political coordinator.

Known simply as Issue 1, the measure was designed by the Legislature's GOP supermajorities to derail pro-worker referendums and other initiatives protecting Ohioans' freedoms and livelihoods. Instead of majority rule, it would have set a 60% threshold for passing constitutional ballot measures, a virtually impossible target for grassroots campaigns.

For example, just 40.01% of voters could have defeated a future measure to ban right-to-work laws.

A broad bipartisan coalition, including current and former political leaders and a cross-section of organizations and causes, battled Issue 1. But only labor had the power in numbers to decisively take it down. To mobilize members, the AFL-CIO held 25 rallies and news conferences around the state, including several at IBEW halls.

Speaking at one of them, Steubenville Local 246 President Kevan Brown stressed how much working families stood to lose without majority rule at the ballot box. "It's going to take away freedoms we've had since 1912," he said.

Anti-worker lawmakers who rushed Issue 1 to the Aug. 8 ballot were counting on typically low summer turnout at the polls. Earlier in the legislative session, the same politicians passed a law eliminating August elections to cut costs.

Their scheme backfired in spectacular fashion: In voting down the ballot measure 57% to 43%, Ohioans cast 2.8 million ballots, by far a summertime record. In contrast, the state's 2022 primary elections for governor and U.S. House and Senate seats drew just 1.66 million voters.

"Issue 1 was a bald-faced power grab by people who already control the Legislature and governor's office, figuring that voters wouldn't be paying attention. They were wrong," said Fourth District International Vice President Gina Cooper. "Our members understood the stakes, and they helped make sure that everyone else did, too. I couldn't be prouder of all their hard work and what they accomplished."

Ohio AFL-CIO Legislative Director Matt Smith said the IBEW played a vital role even before Issue 1 was on the ballot.

"IBEW leadership really stepped up," Smith said. "When the legislation was percolating in the Statehouse, the IBEW was the first of the building trades to jump in and oppose the resolution. Without them taking that first step, I don't think we would have ended up with the biggest, baddest, broadest coalition this state has ever seen."

Labor knew it was essential to cover as much ground in Ohio's 88 counties as possible. Rural front yards in particular sprouted signs from the "Yes on Issue 1" side, an operation bankrolled by billionaires and business groups.

"Union members are the best messengers," Smith said. "They helped people see that defeating Issue 1 was about fairness and democracy, and not about the tricks being pulled by the other side to scare voters."

Sometimes, backers let their real agenda slip out. State Rep. Brian Stewart, who led the charge to speed Issue 1 to the ballot, told an interviewer in June that it was vital to head off "far-left proposals," specifically citing an increase in the minimum wage.

In addition to rallies, phone banking, canvassing and fliers mailed to union members and retirees, labor's efforts were bolstered by the IBEW's peer-to-peer texting program. Crum said it's proven to be an especially effective tool.

Unlike the deluge of one-way blast texts that campaigns send out, the IBEW's system is set up for responses. With the touch of a finger, activists can contact a large group and carry on conversations with members who respond.

"During the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020, we'd get a daily report on phone banking — how many calls were made and how many people they talked to, and it was around 7% to 9%," Crum said. "I believe we're getting four or five times that with the peer-to-peer texts."

That positive feedback and other good signs, such as lines outside early voting locations, gave activists confidence that their message was landing. "Union members understand the importance of majority rule," Local 246's Brown said. "Fifty percent plus one is the basis of our democracy, and we will fight to protect it."

But the fight is far from over. Looking toward the 2024 state and national elections, Crum said it's critical to seize the momentum of labor's victory over Issue 1.

"We're going to try to ride the wave into next November," he said. "With so much at stake, we want to keep our members energized and excited about what we can accomplish when we work together."