11/13/2023

Mapping the Issues

How Ohio’s ballot measures stack up against recent elections, one another

Last week’s election marks a significant victory for reproductive rights and recreational marijuana advocates. In both cases, support for those issues has traditionally aligned with left of center voters, but Tuesday’s results didn’t fit that model.

In a state that has taken a hard right turn, two seemingly liberal ballot measures easily out-performed former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-OH.

For politicians and strategists, it’s an outcome that’s tantalizing or confounding, depending on your perspective. Do those ballot measures suggest Ohio’s electorate is easing from red to purple? Or is Ohio’s partisan alignment unchanged while voters’ opinions on the issues have shifted?

In the days following the election Democrats and Republicans offered their view of the case. Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters previewed a 2024 in which Republican candidates up and down the ticket have to answer for their stance on reproductive rights.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Ohio Capital Journal.