By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — Darke County voters supported passage of Issue 1, but urban areas overwhelmingly said no to increasing the threshold for passage of constitutional amendments in Ohio. Issue 1 failed with 57 percent of Ohio’s voters voting against the ballot issue.
Darke County had 44 percent voter turnout either in person or by early voting. Over 75 percent of the county’s voters wanted to see the constitutional amendment approved. In the unofficial count, 11,352 voted yes and 3,58 voted against Issue 1.
It was a wide margin of victory for those in opposition in Hamilton, Cuyahoga and Montgomery counties that helped propel the failure.
In the rural counties, it was a different story. Voters in counties like Ashland, Auglaize, Champaign, and Preble County saw a good majority voting to change the state’s constitution. Rural counties like Butler and Miami counties saw thinner majorities say yes to Issue 1.
Although much of the Republican party expressed support for the issue, it turned out to be a non-partisan issue with former governors and other elected official from both sides of the aisle asking voters to oppose Issue 1.
The state’s legislature put the issue on the ballot with the expressed intent of “protecting Ohio’s constitution.” If passed, the amendment would not only have increased the threshold of approval from 50 percent plus one vote to 60 percent but would have also required signatures for a Citizen Initiated Petition to gather signatures from all 88 counties instead of the 44 counties that are required now.
The League of Women Voters announced its opposition to State Issue and the League of Women Voters of Darke County issued a statement, “We are glad to see the rights preserved that we’ve had for 111 years. We believe this vote protects democracy and a continuance of voter interaction.”
On the other side of the issue, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said, “I’m grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war. Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution. Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough. The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a child’s life-altering medical procedure, force job killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. I’ve said for months now that there’s an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn’t changed. I’m just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio’s values.”
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown said, “Ohioans saw this amendment for what it was: a power grab by powerful people designed to silence their voices. By rejecting State Issue 1, Ohioans rejected special interests and demanded that democracy remain where it belongs – in the hands of voters, not the rich and powerful. That is what has always guided me and I am proud to stand with Ohioans in this fight.”
Jeff Whitaker, candidate for mayor of Greenville, was a strong supporter of changing Ohio’s constitution and campaigned by standing on street corners in the city and holding his Vote Yes on Issue 1 sign. He said, “Naturally, I’m very disappointed with the outcome, and we will see the effect of this in November with the abortion amendment on the ballot. In my view, it’s going to be difficult to defeat.” He added, “My concern is the WOKE agenda, and the number of radical left wing agenda items that will begin to appear here in Ohio; items that would never pass in the legislature but will be proposed as amendments and need only a simple majority of often-confused voters to pass. A very tough pill to swallow for conservative Republicans, in my judgement.”
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
