Buckeye Beat: April 2020
Here are some of the biggest stories from our state in April!
Ohio Primary Election Update
In March, we learned that Ohio had to postpone its primary election due to COVID-19 safety concerns. The election was instead held by mail with a deadline for sending in ballots on Tuesday, April 28.
To avoid spreading of COVID-19, voters were required to mail absentee ballots. Some folks were still able to vote in person; this includes those with disabilities, without addresses, or who did not receive their ballots in the mail on time.
Boards of elections are still tallying up all of the votes, but here's what we know so far:
Turnout wasn't so great. Turnout is the number of people who show up to vote. Only about 23% of people registered to vote actually cast a ballot. That's low compared to the last two presidential primaries in 2016 and 2012, which had 46% and 26% turnouts.
Former Vice President Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination for president, and President Donald Trump, who ran unopposed, won on the Republican side.
On a more local level, Ohioans had a lot to consider when it came to issues that affect the towns and regions where they live. Plenty of school and park levies were on the ballot.
We told you back in April about an issue that Ashtabula County voters were considering - more funding to combat significant erosion on the Lake Erie shoreline. That levy passed, but only by a slim margin.
Ohioans also voted on representatives to the House of Representatives, but there were no senatorial or governor races this year.
Photo credit: Tim Dubravetz / ideastream
Plastic Bags Update
Remember we told you a few months ago about some places in our state considering banning plastic bags? Well, one area is making some changes to its ban due to the coronavirus.
Cuyahoga County Council voted to ban plastic bags last May, and the order was supposed to take effect starting July 1. Now, that's postponed. The council plans to move the enforcement date to January 1, 2021.
To keep the virus from spreading, grocery stores have been discouraging customers from bringing their reusable bags.
One councilwoman said the delay of the ban is not to downplay the negative environmental effects of plastic bags but to relieve anxieties both businesses and customers have been having about the upcoming enforcement of the ban.
Photo credit: Pavel Kubarkov / Shutterstock
Bald Eagles Update
The number of bald eagles in Ohio is soaring! A few months ago, we told you that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources asked citizens to help them identify bald eagle nests across Ohio. The tally is in, and Ohio has 707 nests confirmed throughout the state!
ODNR's Division of Wildlife reports that this is a considerable increase since the last bald eagle census in 2012. Back then, there were only 281 nests reported.
The counties with the most nests are all located near Lake Erie, where bald eagles thrive due to an abundance of food and nesting habitats. At the top of the list is Ottawa County, which confirmed a whopping 90 nests.
ODNR said it received thousands of reports from the public for the bald eagle census. We wonder if any were from you!
Photo credit: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
