The 2023 voting has officially ended and the ballots are closed. The issues Ohio voted on during this election were Issues 1 and 2. Here is a brief overview of what you should know about the voting.

Issue 1:

Issue 1 was about the abortion controls and regulations in Ohio. After the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, Ohio was one of several states to turn to the people and get their opinions. Passing this Issue would change Ohio’s constitution to allow people to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” This prohibits the state from restricting abortion access before fetal viability (which is around 22-24 weeks). The state, however, cannot restrict medical after this time period if the mother is a medical risk carrying the child. Ohio was the first republican-controlled state to pass an issue like this.

Issue 2:

Issue 2 was about legalizing recreational marijuana. People 21 and over would be able to grow and sell marijuana through a regulation program set by the state. Ohio is now the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana, despite it being illegal on a federal level. Unlike Issue 1, Issue 2 is a citizen initiated statue, which means it is not a constitutional amendment, but rather one for the people. This means that state lawmakers can easily change or repeal this law. This law brought up great controversy in terms of workplace and traffic safety, as legalizing recreational marijuana “like alcohol” could create an entirely new issue with DUIs.

Issue 19:

Issue 19 is less controversial than Issues 1 and 2. This issues brings up the problem of whether or not to increase taxes supporting the Cincinnati Zoo. This new tax levy would help fund zoo services and facility operations. However, this is actually not what the Cincinnati Zoo originally wanted. According to Director Than Maynard, the zoo was looking for a 43% tax increase to help with inflation, rather than the $9 people will have to pay.

Issue 20:

Issue 20 was the last overall issue on this year’s election. Issue 20 is also about tax levies, but this one involved the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. The new levy would help with operating expenses and improvements to the 41 branches of the library.

Issue 1 votes:

Yes-56.6%

No-43.4%

Issue 2 votes:

Yes-57.0%

No-43.0%

All issues were passed, however, Issue 1 and Issue 2 were the main points of controversy on this year’s election. There were other issues on the ballot this year depending on the area where you live, but these were the major Issues in this year’s election.