Ohio Issues 1 and 2 fail, Issue 3 passes
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November 8, 2011
By Al Ortiz
COLUMBUS, Ohio: Approximately 80% of counties in the state have reported their numbers, and it seems two out of three measures have failed.
The most notable of the three ballot questions, Issue 2, has been defeated, with 'no' votes averaging 60% throughout the night. With these unfavorable numbers, Senate Bill 5 has finally come to an end. As of 9:50 p.m. EST, the count totaled to 904,481 opposed and 548,025 in favor. SB 5 will be repealed, as the legislation would have limited collective bargaining for public employees in the state.
Most notably, SB 5 would have prevented unions from charging "fair share" dues to employees who chose to opt out. Senate Bill 5 will impact the state's 400,000 public workers, restricting their ability to strike and collectively bargain. As it stands, the bill would only permit public employees to collectively bargain for wages, preventing them from collectively bargaining for health insurance and pensions. It would also prohibit all public employees from striking and could increase employee contributions for pensions and healthcare.
Also among the defeated was Issue 1, which would have raised the mandatory retirement age of those occupying judicial office from 70 to 76. As of 9:50 EST, the measure had collected about 62% of 'no' votes.
The lone approved measure, Issue 3, the healthcare amendment, had 66% of 'yes' votes. The measure will exempt residents of Ohio from national healthcare mandates which would stop any state law from forcing persons, employers or healthcare providers from participating in a healthcare system.
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