The Votes Are In!

2015 Ohio Election Recap

 

State Issue 1

State Issue 1, which will create a new process for drawing legislative districts, was the first to be called last night. With a final tally of over 72% to 28%, voters overwhelmingly approved this bi-partisan plan. Backers of the initiative had hoped for such a strong result in order to build momentum for further district-drawing reforms. The issue had not received much paid media attention due to lackluster fundraising, but in the end yes votes outnumbered no votes by 1.2 million. The new process will not go into effect until 2021.

 

State Issue 2

This was by far the closest issue of the night, but in the end this legislature-created barrier to allowing monopolies in the state constitution passed with a tally of 1.55 million for and 1.45 against (52%-48%). This proposal had bi-partisan support and was closely linked to the campaign for Issue 3 but both supporters and detractors.

 

State Issue 3

The most heavily covered issue of Election Day surprised almost everyone with the result of 64% no, 36% yes. Voters handily rejected a proposal to allow medicinal and recreational marijuana use in Ohio that would have restricted the market to the control of just 10 businesses responsible for the growth and distribution of the product. Recent polling of registered voters had shown the issue passing.  Supporters of the Issue had spent over $25 million on the campaign, buying significant television time in the last 3 weeks highlighting the medical use opportunities. Voters seemed to support legalizing medicinal use, but were turned off by the oligopoly this particular proposal would have created. After the results were announced Ohio House leaders indicated a willingness to consider some form of legalization for medicinal use in light of the public support for it.

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Special thanks and credit to Nikki Reiss of Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP for this post.