COLUMBUS – The secretary of state’s office says polling places around Ohio opened for voting without any reports of major problems on Tuesday morning, though election directors relocated some polling sites in northeastern Ohio after a severe storm over the weekend caused power outages..
Ohio voters are heading to the polls, though not exactly in droves, to decide ballot issues that would place limits on drug prices and expand victims’ rights in criminal proceedings, but also fund local services and schools.
Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
While Issue 2 — the Drug Price Standards Initiative – and Issue 1 – known as “Marsy’s Law” – have gotten most of the attention, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted says more than 1,500 local issues, such as mayoral and city council races, are also on ballots and those are contests where a single vote can be the deciding one.
“Over the last four years, there have been 112 elections that have been decided by one vote, or tied,” Husted said. “That means that in mayoral races, school levies and the like, one vote has really made the difference on many occasions – and I’m sure that will be the case in some elections across the state.”
While low voter turnout is typical in off-year elections, early voting figures in some counties indicate voter interest is higher than normal, particularly in city elections with incumbents facing spirited challenges.
“In early voting so far, we have seen very high turnout. More and more people are getting used to early voting by person and in mail, and so we’ve seen a good early turnout,” Husted said.
Turnout was more than 70 percent in last year’s presidential election, but in the last off-year election in 2015, it was 43 percent.
According to Husted’s office, more than 449,000 voters had requested an absentee ballot and 385,441 had been cast before Tuesday, compared with more than 383,000 at the same point prior to the 2015 election
Voters in Franklin County had requested nearly 30,000 absentee ballots and cast more than 25,000 early votes.
Democratic incumbent mayors have challengers in intraparty battles in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo. Democratic Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is seeking a record fourth four-year term.
Democrats are looking for emerging stars after recent statewide GOP domination.