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Ohio voters back Obama, five of six state issues

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November 9, 2008

by Marc Kovac

Capital Bureau Chief

Columbus -- Ohioans said yes to a Democratic president, Democratic attorney general and Democratic majority in one chamber of state government.

They also backed, by wide margins, four of five statewide ballot issues, leaving only a proposed Clinton County casino out in the cold.

But Republicans did manage to retain their comfortable leads in the Ohio Senate and held onto a number of seats in the Ohio House and the U.S. Congress, with party officials promising to rebuild and rejuvenate their base to combat their losses in 2010.

Though ballots were still being counted, the latest compilation by Brunner's office Nov. 6 put turnout at 67 percent of 8.3 million registered voters. In Summit County, about 70.1 percent of registered voters (268,661 of 379,939) cast ballots.

Among specific results:

* President-elect Barack Obama outpaced Republican John McCain 51 percent to 47 percent in Ohio, according to the unofficial results. Independent candidate Ralph Nader was third, with 39,824 votes, followed by Libertarian Bob Barr with 18,663.

In Summit County, Obama outpaced McCain, 153,068 to 108,642, (58 percent-41 percent) according to the unofficial tally. Independent candidate Nader received 1,696 votes, while Libertarian Barr snagged 767.

* Issue 1, a constitutional amendment changing filing deadlines for state ballot issues, was OK'd 69 percent to 31 percent.

* Issue 2, a renewal of the Clean Ohio bond issuance, with proceeds used for brownfield cleanup and green space and farmland preservation, was approved 69 percent to 31 percent.

* Issue 3, a constitutional amendment related to private property rights (and the Statehouse compromise that led to the passage of the Great Lakes Compact) was approved 72 percent to 28 percent.

* Issue 5, a referendum upholding legislation passed by lawmakers to limit payday lending activities in the state, was OK'd 64 percent to 36 percent.

* The lone failed issue was Issue 6, a constitutional amendment that would have allowed a casino to be constructed in southwestern Ohio. Results show 63 percent of voters said "no" to the plan, compared to 37 percent who voted "yes."

* Democratic state Treasurer Richard Cordray defeated Republican Mike Crites, 56 percent to 39 percent, in the race to complete Marc Dann's term as Ohio Attorney General. Independent candidate Robert Owens netted about 5 percent of the final vote, according to the unofficial count.

The results were a little more lopsided in Summit County, where Cordray received 63 percent to Crites' 33 percent and Owens' 4 percent.

* Republicans Maureen O'Connor and Evelyn Stratton retained their seats on the Ohio Supreme Court. O'Connor defeated Democrat Joseph Russo, 67 percent to 33 percent, while Stratton outpaced Democrat Peter Sikora, 63 percent to 37 percent.

Marc Kovac is the Dix Newspapers Capital Bureau chief. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com. His Capital Blog can be found online at blogs.dixcdn.com/capitalblog/.




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