Delaware County went the way of the state of Ohio in rejecting Issue 1 in the special election on Tuesday.
With 100% of the vote in from all 170 precincts at 9:43 p.m., the Delaware County Board of Elections’ unofficial canvass said 46,196 ballots were cast “No,” and 33,839 ballots were cast as “Yes,” for a margin of 57.72%-42.28%. A total of 80,183 ballots were cast, meaning that 50.79% of the county’s 157,876 registered voters took part in the special election.
In neighboring Franklin County, Issue 1 lost by a 75-25 percentage.
Statewide, the unofficial election results were 1,744,094 “No” (57.01% of the votes) to 1,315,346 “Yes” (42.99%). As of Aug. 9, there were still 58,073 outstanding absentee and provisional ballots. The Ohio Secretary of State’s website (liveresults.ohiosos.gov) said 8,885 precincts reported, and 3,059,440 of the state’s 7,950,303 registered voters (37.6%) participated in the election.
The newsite Axios said unofficial turnout was “far higher than both primary elections last year and the general election turnout in 2021.”
The county’s Board of Elections summarized Issue 1 as requiring “a 60% affirmative vote to pass any future Constitutional Amendments.” The State of Ohio’s language was “elevating the standards to qualify for an initiated constitutional amendment and to pass a constitutional amendment.”
“The voters made it clear that the power of the people will always rise above deceitful, out-of-touch politicians,” said Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Columbus), in a statement. “Ohio’s constitution and the people’s fundamental freedom to determine our own future has been preserved, but the fight is not over. Together, we will continue to put people first and hold extremist politicians accountable when they fail to represent our interests. Citizen-led ballot initiatives give voice to the power of the people, and it will never be silenced.”
Axios reports the anti-Issue 1 group One Person One Vote called the result a “major victory for Democracy in Ohio. Voters saw Issue 1 for what it was: a deceptive power grab designed to silence their voices and diminish their voting power.”
The statewide election attracted national attention.
“Ohio voters rejected an effort by Republican lawmakers and special interests to change the state’s constitutional amendment process,” said United States President Joe Biden in a statement issued by the White House at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 8, once the race was called. “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.”
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
