This evening State Issue 1, Ohio legislative redistricting reform & State Issue 2, a measure to protect Ohio’s constitution from monopoly interests passed while State Issue 3, the legalization of marijuana, was soundly defeated. The outcome mirrors the position that the Ohio Chamber of Commerce took on each issue. We believe the results to be the most optimal result for maintaining Ohio’s positive business climate and for the promotion of economic prosperity.
State Issue 1- Creates a bipartisan, public process for drawing legislative districts
State Issue 1 passed by a margin of 71.56%-28.44% (91% reporting). The group behind issue three, Fair Districts for Ohio, was spearheaded by a bipartisan duo of former state representatives, Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Vernon Sykes (D-Akron). Initially, there was some hesitation by Ohio Democrats to join the coalition supporting State Issue 1. With no organized opposition to State Issue 1, the Fair Districts for Ohio campaign cruised to victory spending a substantially less amount of money compared to advocates for and against State Issues 2 and 3.
State Issue 2- Protect Ohio’s constitution from monopoly interests
Recognizing that the passage of Issue 2 would likely derail Issue 3 (whether outright, or in the court system), ResponsibleOhio invested a lot of their ad buys into this measure’s defeat in the weeks leading up tonight’s election. This strategy ultimately failed, resulting in defeat on both fronts. Last minute attempts by statewide conservative organizations to defeat Issue 2 were not enough to make a difference . The measure passed by the slightest of margins, 51.88%-48.12% (91% reporting).
State Issue 3-Legalization of Marijuana
A last minute injunction by a judge kept polls open until 9:00 PM in Hamilton County due to problems with new electronic polling books in use for the first time. Extended polling hours, a number of celebrity endorsements, and great financial advantages did not equal a victory for ResponsibleOhio. ResponsibleOhio’s amendment went down by a margin of 29 points (64.31% -35.69%, 91% reporting). The campaign opposing Issue 3, Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies, saw widespread support with newspaper editorial boards from major cities throughout Ohio panning the Issue 3 proposal. While ResponsibleOhio held significant cash advantages, OAMM dominated in grassroots advocacy with support from a diverse group of statewide associations including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Although Issue 3 was soundly defeated, the debate over marijuana is not going away. Ohio could see another proposal regarding marijuana use, whether medicinal, recreational, or both, as early as next year. The electorate in 2016 will look vastly different and be a lot larger compared to this time around, so tonight’s win shouldn’t be interpreted as the final word on marijuana legalization.
General Assembly Candidates in Local Races
Two sitting members of the Ohio House and Senate, Rep. Mike Stinziano (D-Columbus) & Sen. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) were on the ballot tonight. Rep. Stinziano was elected to an at-large seat on Columbus City Council while Sen. Skindell fell short in his bid for Mayor of Lakewood, a suburb of Cleveland. House Democrats will determine the replacement for Rep. Stinziano in the coming weeks. In addition to Rep. Stinziano and Sen. Skindell, there are a number of candidates with General Assembly ties that were on the ballot throughout the state at the local level. You can see how these candidates fared as well in this post.
My twitter handle @probizpolitics will provide additional news and information on tonight’s results as well on the upcoming election in 2016. Please consider taking a look.