Ohio votes to guarantee abortion access, Oxford votes are in

This story was last updated at 10:37 p.m. All local precincts have reported their results.

As the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. across Ohio, unofficial voter turnout results showed that nearly 46% of eligible voters showed up to cast their ballots in Butler County.

In Oxford, residents and Miami University students alike showed up throughout the day to vote on ballot initiatives to establish a constitutional right to an abortion and legalize marijuana. Voters also weighed in on local races for three seats on Oxford City Council, one seat on the Oxford Township Board of Trustees and three seats on the Talawanda School District Board of Trustees.

By 9 p.m., The New York Times called the Issue 1 race in favor of passage, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. By 9:30 p.m., The New York Times reported that Issue 2 had also passed, legalizing the possession and sale of marijuana in the state.

Oxford City Council

Four candidates ran for three open seats on Oxford City Council this year, including incumbents Jason Bracken and William Snavely, Oxford’s mayor. Mike Smith, a former mayor of Oxford, also ran, along with political newcomer Jon Ralinovsky.

Snavely easily won reelection with 2,120 votes. He'll be joined by Smith, who won 1,792 votes, and Bracken, who won 1,712 votes. Ralinovsky ended the night with 1,291 votes, too few to earn a seat on city council.

Oxford Township Trustees

Incumbent Township Trustee Kate Rousmaniere, another former mayor of Oxford, successfully defended her seat against Glenn Ellerbe, a term-limited member of city council.

With all precincts reporting, Rousmaniere came out on top with 2,671 votes compared to Ellerbe's 897.

Talawanda School Board

Six candidates vied for three seats on Talawanda’s school board, including three incumbents: Rebecca Howard, Kathleen Knight-Abowitz and Chris Otto.

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The incumbent candidates were challenged by Ivan Carver, Dawn King and Andrew Langsner. The district’s finances have been a major topic of discussion throughout the election cycle after Talawanda failed to pass a levy last year and subsequently made a number of cuts.

With all 26 precincts reporting, the three winners are Howard with 3,954 votes, Otto with 3,935 votes and King with 3,891 votes.

Incumbent candidate Knight-Abowitz lost after falling behind with 3,489 votes, while challengers Carver and Langsner came in with 3,232 votes and 2,848 votes, respectively.

Ballot Initiatives

The New York Times has reported that both ballot issues will pass. Both currently have similar support statewide, with 55.7% of voters so far supporting abortion rights and 56% supporting legalizing marijuana. In Butler County, residents have voted 50.9% in favor of Issue 1 and 57% in favor of Issue 2 so far.

Statewide, both ballot issues initially saw decreasing support as more results rolled in but have stabilized in the past hour.

scottsr2@miamioh.edu