In The News 9 August 2023

UPDATED: Issue 1 unofficially fails despite strong local support

The Highland County Press - Staff Photo -
By
Caitlin Forsha, The Highland County Press

Despite strong support in Highland County and the surrounding area, Issue 1 is projected to fail statewide, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

As of this article’s posting on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 12:05 a.m., the Ohio Secretary of State’s office is reporting over 3 million votes cast statewide, with 8,849 of 8,885 precincts reporting. The unofficial totals show Issue 1 failing with 1,731,290 no votes, or 57.1 percent, and 1,303,548 yes votes, or 42.9 percent.

If these unofficial numbers stand, the threshold for constitutional amendments will remain unchanged with the “50 percent plus one” majority instead of raising the requirement to 60 percent as proposed.

In Highland County, unofficial votes show the lone issue on the Tuesday, Aug. 8 ballot passing decisively, with 6,496 yes votes (71.7 percent) and 2,559 no votes (28.3 percent). There are 167 outstanding absentee and provisional ballots, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Unofficially, Highland County had voter turnout of 33.4 percent for the special election, with the Board of Elections finalizing the unofficial totals Tuesday around 11:30 p.m.

Although Issue 1 has unofficially failed statewide, it also passed in all of Highland County’s surrounding counties. Unofficial area results include:

• Adams County, 72.6 percent yes votes;

• Brown County, 69.9 percent yes votes;

• Clinton County, 66.3 percent yes votes;

• Fayette County, 67.3 percent yes votes;

• Pike County, 62.3 percent yes votes; and

• Ross County, 54.2 percent yes votes.

To read the Ohio Capital Journal’s original story, reposted by the HCP, go to: https://highlandcountypress.com/ohio-voters-reject-issue-1-constitution….

An updated Ohio Capital Journal story is online at: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/08/08/ohios-issue-1-goes-down-to-de….

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