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Election 2015 Brings Wins For Two Issues; A Defeat For the Most Controversial One

Election 2015 is over, and unofficial results showed 42% of the state’s 7.5 million voters cast ballots, which is a bit higher than last year.

This year marked the third time in a decade redistricting was on the ballot, and unofficial results show 7 in 10 voters approved it this time. Supporters are pleased, including Catherine Turcer with Common Cause Ohio, while Sandy Theis with Progress Ohio says the Congressional map should be revamped next - and Secretary of State Jon Husted agrees. But that call is getting rejected by the top Republican in the House, Speaker Cliff Rosenberger.

Then there were the other two far more controversial issues – 2 and 3. The unofficial count has Issue 2 approved by a very slim majority.  Secretary of State Jon Husted says the benefits of Issue 2 go beyond the latest marijuana legalization effort. And on the subject of Issue 3, voters said no by a 2-1 margin. Curt Steiner with Ohioans Against Marijuana Monopolies acknowledged some voters wanted to see pot legalized and some wanted access to medical marijuana. And Rep. Mike Curtin (D-Columbus) said he thought the plan was flawed from the beginning. And Secretary of State Jon Husted, a critic of Issue 3, had praise for the way supporters ran the campaign. But ResponsibleOhio leaders who ran the Issue 3 campaign say they think the opposition group unfairly characterized the issue as a monopoly - including investor John Humphrey. Jimmy Gould, the man responsible for raising money for Issue 3, said this isn’t the end of the fight to legalize pot in Ohio. And on that point, Ian James with ReponsibleOhio agreed.

All this criticism of state lawmakers not hearing Ohioans on the medical marijuana issue has apparently affected them.  Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) told Statehouse reporters this week that lawmakers will be discussing how to permit marijuana for research and medical use in Ohio, but he warns it won’t come at light speed.

Digging further into the results of Election Night 2015 and what they mean, are the reporters of the Statehouse News Bureau, Jo Ingles and Andy Chow.