PREBLE COUNTY – Despite the measure going on to fail in the state, Preble County voters said “yes” to State Issue 1 on the Tuesday, Aug. 8, special election ballot.
Of the county’s 28,270 registered voters, 10,881 cast ballots for a 38.49 percent voter turnout. Some 7,366 (67.71 percent) said “yes” while 3,512 (32.29 percent) said “no,” according to the unofficial results.
Statewide, 3,059,440 votes were cast, with 1,744,094 voters saying “no” and 1,315,346 voters saying “yes” to the measure which aimed to elevate the standards to qualify for an initiated constitutional amendment and to pass a constitutional amendment.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose last week issued the following statement regarding the vote on Issue 1: “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,” LaRose said. “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.”
Senator Sherrod Brown also last week released the following statement in response to Ohioans rejecting State Issue 1: “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.”
Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.
