Ohio - One of the races Ohio residents are voting on this November is one they probably haven't given much thought to, but could impact their rights.

Three races will determine the balance of power on the Ohio Supreme Court. 

"The Ohio Supreme Court races this year are the most important in a generation, if not longer," said Jeremy Pelzer, Cleveland.com politics reporter.

Voters have a lot to consider when deciding who they want filling the seats in the Ohio Supreme Court.

As it stands, four democrat and three republican members make up the Ohio Supreme Court, but this election could shift the balance of power. 

"In this case, the Supreme Court is almost an extension of all of these other major elections we've had over again, everything from reproductive freedom to democracy itself. This court will define the results in many ways, of those elections," said David Pepper, former Ohio Democratic Party Chair.

A number of issues are going to the court in the coming years, including the abortion rights amendment that passed last year.

"It didn't mean that all of Ohio's abortion laws suddenly magically go away. It means that each one of those laws now will be challenged in court and it will be up to the supreme court ultimately to decide which of those laws are constitutional and which of those laws are not," said Pelzer.

To illustrate the point, remember when Ohio's legislative maps were ruled unconstitutional? The maps didn't change, but one vote on the court did. Now they're legal.

Even now, the Ohio Supreme Court looks at issues that affect Ohio residents everyday.

"We're talking education, taxes, the role of government, police authority, there's a number of issues and as they say, these are not just issues that are academic, but really affect the lives of every member and every resident in Ohio," said Pelzer.

The Ohio Supreme Court race is the only one in the nation where the majority of a state supreme court could switch hands.