Why I still have hope for Ohio

As I had hoped and advocated for, Ohio’s Issue 1 was defeated at the polls.  In the end, the margin was more than a landslide, it was an earthquake: 57% against to 43% in favor. 

My own vote was cast at my local polling place just after it opened at 6:30 am.  Since my driveway is currently under construction, I decided to forego the arduous task of maneuvering my car over the lawn to get onto the road and walked to the polls.  It was a beautiful morning and made for a nice start to the day.  There was a line of people waiting outside, not as large as in Presidential or Gubernatorial elections, but substantial enough to buoy my hopes for the Issue’s defeat.

The obligatory post-vote selfie.

I was recently speaking with a younger friend who, like me, despises Ohio’s politics.  But he has never lived in Ohio, only visited.  So, I had to explain a few nuances: Ohio is really two states: the larger cities of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and their suburbs - along with smaller cities like Toledo, Dayton, and Youngstown, which are reliably blue; then there are the outer ring suburbs and the country, which are reliably red.  But the voters who really hold the cards in Ohio are neither Republican nor Democrat – they are unaffiliated and tend toward the fiscally conservative and socially moderate.  Social perceptions change with time.  While Ohio’s voters in 2004 were comfortable passing a Constitutional amendment to outlaw marriage equality (subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court), it’s doubtful they would do so today.

Ohio has long had a reputation as a swing state and a reflection of America’s politics in general.  It’s not so much a leader as a follower – about a decade behind the national trend.  During the height of the Reagan era, Ohio’s governor and both Senators were Democrats.  Today, the state leans red, while previous red states, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, have become purple and even lean to the blue.  Ohio’s Presidential vote matched the electoral vote in every election after 1960 and before 2020. 

Ohio’s Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, pushed this issue and worked to put it onto the ballot in August – despite a recent law forbidding such one-off elections.  LaRose and fellow Republicans did so hoping that low turnout would help their cause.  In doing so, LaRose exposed his own hypocrisy for all to see.

"Changing the rules of a game so you have a better chance at winning is what my daughters try to do when they are losing Candyland.  It is not what responsible leaders do when their Agenda is failing."  -  Frank LaRose January 11, 2022

Ohio’s Secretary of State now has egg on his face, as does Governor Mike DeWine – who has styled himself as a moderate-conservative, but is substantively a right-winger.  DeWine is term limited and will likely retire from public life after his term expires. 

The winners: First, the women of Ohio, who now have a fighting chance to control their own bodies.  Second, those in Ohio who support the principle of one person, one vote.  Third, those active in Ohio politics – whether officeholders or not, Republican, Democrat, and unaffiliated – who opposed this Issue, including former Cuyahoga County commissioner Lee Weingart, former governors Bob Taft and John Kasich, and two former Ohio attorneys general.  Those listed here are all Republicans, battling to pull the state party toward sanity.  Whether they will emerge victorious in the war for their party’s soul remains to be seen – but last night they won a significant battle, and in doing so all of Ohio’s women won.

I have no illusions: Ohio leans Republican, despite having a Democratic Senator in Sherrod Brown – who is up for reelection next year with LaRose trying for the Republican nomination to oppose him.  But the redness of Ohio is exaggerated by gerrymandering, which has continued despite numerous court rulings and citizen initiatives.  The defeat of Issue 1 is a good step in preventing Ohio’s redness from becoming all but permanent. 

The work continues.  A proposed Constitutional amendment protecting women’s health choices will be on the ballot in November – now eligible for passage with a simple majority.  Another amendment, not yet approved for the ballot as signatures are being authenticated, would have Ohio join states including Michigan in allowing recreational cannabis.  More on these amendments in a future post.