Board officials explain local election results

Photo by Daily Standard Staff

How Mercer County voted on Issues 1 and 2.

CELINA - Mercer County voters resoundingly rejected a pair of state issues on abortion rights and recreational marijuana use which nevertheless gained more than enough support elsewhere in Ohio to be approved at the Nov. 7 general election.

Mercer County Board of Elections members this week completed the official canvas to produce the official election results. The county, home to 29,369 registered voters in 36 precincts, saw a 60.75% turnout this election.

State Issue 1, which enshrines abortion rights in Ohio's Constitution, garnered the backing of a mere 22% of local voters. A measure legalizing recreational marijuana known as Issue 2 fared better, winning 34% of the county vote.

Issue I received the most affirmative votes in the Celina area and townships in the northern part of the county. The rate of support varied from 31% to 44% in Celina's eight precincts, 36% in East Jefferson South precinct, 31% in East Jefferson North precinct and 28% in both the village of Rockford and the Mendon-Union precincts.

The results were strikingly different south of Grand Lake. The amount of voters who gave the thumbs-up to the abortion issue was a scant 4% in Gibson Township in the southeast corner of the county, 5% in neighboring Recovery Township, 6% in Marion West precinct, 7% in Marion East precinct and 8% in Washington Township.

Some may chalk up the disparity in voting patterns to the large number of Roman Catholics inhabiting southern Mercer County. In fact, the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches - a moniker denoting a dense cluster of large Catholic churches - is centered in Maria Stein, according to the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics website.

Many Roman Catholics, at least locally, have traditionally opposed the practice of abortion as evidenced by the "pray to end abortion" signs in many yards. Also, for years area teens have hopped in busses to make their way to the annual March for Life in Washington.

However, that's not to say there's a monolithic Catholic vote when it comes to abortion. A poll last year from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed a clear gap between the prevalent views of U.S. Catholics, and the anti-abortion positions of the bishops. According to the poll, 63% of Catholic adults said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 68% opposed the year-old Supreme Court ruling that undermined that right by reversing the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973.

Among Protestants, a solid majority of white evangelicals favor outlawing abortion. But most mainline Protestants support the right to abortion, and several of their top leaders have decried Roe v. Wade's reversal.

Local political party leaders also weighed in on the passage of State Issue 1 following the polls closing on Election Night.

Mercer County Republican Party Chairman Bob Hibner said he was obviously disappointed that Issue 1 passed statewide but, unfortunately, not completely surprised.

"We kind of live in a little pocket of conservative values that seems to be a little countercultural to where the nation and the state seems to be going," Hibner said.

He felt the party did its job in educating people on the issue and getting them out to vote.

"A lot of us still believe in the rights of the unborn and that those are individuals with their own inalienable rights, that they deserve the right to life and to be able to be brought to fruition," Hibner said.

Mercer County Democratic Party Chair Sophia Rodriguez said voters sent a clear message on Nov. 7.

"Once again, the Ohio voters have spoken and are sending a message to the politicians, the state government," she said. "They don't want those people in their personal healthcare decisions. Women, they don't want politicians in their decision-making. By putting it in the constitution, it should be very clear to those who are running in 2024. You are going to have to leave that platform and focus on what Ohioans need (such as) good-paying jobs, healthcare, public education and lower taxes."

Mercer County voters, though, were a bit more inclined to endorse legalizing recreational marijuana. Once again, some of the highest levels of support were seen in the Celina precincts, ranging from 36% to 58%. The yes vote was 48% in East Jefferson North precinct, 45% in East Jefferson South precinct, 47% in the village of Rockford and 53% in the Mendon-Union precinct.

"Marijuana is no longer a controversial issue," said Tom Haren, spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. "Ohioans demonstrated this by passing State Issue 2 in a landslide. Ohioans are being extremely clear on the future they want for our state: adult-use marijuana legal and regulated."

- The Associated Press contributed to this story.