Ohio Republicans had big wins on Tuesday night, a state where they count their votes that same day. Not only did Gov. Mike DeWine and Senator-elect J.D. Vance win big, so did a ballot initiative clarifying that noncitizens could not vote in local elections. That initiative won with over 77 percent, according to the Associated Press, with 95 percent reporting.
Townhall spoke with Secretary of State Frank LaRose at a Vance event in September. He explained that the need for such an initiative, which would amendment the state constitution to clarify that "Only a citizen of the United States... is entitled to vote at all elections," came about after the town of Yellow Springs had held a referendum deciding to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Although the town backed down upon receiving LaRose's letter that they could do no such thing, further clarity was still needed, and Ohio voters delivered it decisively.
"This is a clear win for the sanctity of Ohio's elections. With the passage of Issue 2 tonight, Ohioans affirmed once-and-for-all that American elections are only for American citizens," LaRose said in a statement for Townhall.
Noncitizens can vote in Vermont when it comes to municipal elections of the capital city of Montpelier and in Winooski, after the Democratic-legislature overrode Gov. Phil Scott's (R-VT) veto. New York City tried to allow noncitzens to do the same there, but the courts struck that down in June.
Additionally, Ohioans passed a ballot initiative on bail reform just as decisively. AP has that passing at 77.6 percent with 94 percent reporting.
The initiative supported amending the state constitution to read that "When determining the amount of bail, the court shall consider public safety, including the seriousness of the offense, and a person's criminal record, the likelihood a person will return to court, and any other factor the general assembly may prescribe."
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Even Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), who ran a failed campaign against Vance, claimed he supported that ballot initiative during a Fox News town hall a week before the election. This was a rich and also desperate attempt from Ryan, considering he had signed onto a pledge from the ACLU in 2019 during his brief run for president that included support for a cashless bail system like the kind that is destroying New York State.
Secretary LaRose won his own reelection, by over 20 points. With 80 percent of the vote in, he has 59.88 percent of the vote to Democrat Chelsea Clark's 39.11 percent.
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