Issue 1 passes big locally, fails statewide

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s special election show voters shot down controversial State Issue 1 by an overwhelming margin. Results from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose show the lone ballot initiative was defeated by a 57-43 percent margin. Approximately 1.7 million voters were against it, while 1.3 million voted in favor.

Figures from the Van Wert County Board of Elections show the majority of local voters bucked the statewide trend. 5,176 voters (70.51 percent) cast ballots in favor of the issue while 2,165 voters (29.49 percent) opposed it.

Had it been approved, State Issue 1 would have required 60 percent of the vote to enact any new constitutional amendments, instead of a simple majority vote of 50 percent plus one vote. It was considered a Republican led effort to block an expected abortion rights amendment in November.

It also would have required citizens who wanted to place an amendment on the ballot to collect signatures from at least five percent of registered voters from the previous gubernatorial election in all 88 counties, instead of the current 44. In addition, it would have eliminated a 10-day period that currently allows citizens to replace any signatures considered invalid by the Secretary of State’s Office.

In recent weeks, millions of dollars were spent on radio and television campaign ads by groups on both sides of the issue. The “One Person One Vote” campaign, which spent over $12 million on advertising, issued a statement approximately an hour after the polls closed.

“We did it,” said Dennis Willard, spokesperson for the One Person One Vote Campaign. “Tonight is a major victory for Democracy in Ohio. The majority still rules in Ohio and the people’s power has been preserved because Ohio voters showed up and overwhelmingly voted down Issue 1,”

“Voters saw Issue 1 for what it was: a deceptive power grab designed to silence their voices and diminish their voting power,” he added. “We defeated Issue 1 because an enormous coalition that spans ideological divides came together to defend democracy.”

Results from Tuesday’s election are unofficial until certified by boards of elections offices and LaRose.