Dems declare Issue 1 defeated as analysts call race for 'No' side: Votes still being counted

Aug. 8—8:45 p.m. update:

The Ohio Democratic Party and Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senator are declaring Issue 1 defeated as several outlets and analysts project a loss, though votes are still being counted.

Outlets that have called the election include 270 to Win and Decision Desk HQ. The Dayton Daily News is not calling the race as 942 of 8,885 statewide precincts have been counted as of 8:45 p.m. With 942,997 votes counted, Issue 1 is being rejected 64% to 36%.

"Ohioans saw this amendment for what it was: a power grab by powerful people designed to silence their voices," U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown wrote in a statement at 8:32 p.m. "By rejecting State Issue 1, Ohioans rejected special interests and demanded that democracy remain where it belongs — in the hands of voters, not the rich and powerful. That is what has always guided me and I am proud to stand with Ohioans in this fight."

The "Yes" campaign has said there is no update as to when their campaign will provide comment to the press.

8 p.m. update:

The "No" side's margin has dwindled slightly since initial returns were posted but maintains a steady lead. With 668,065 votes reported, results show Issue 1 being rejected by a ratio of 70% to 30%.

Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst with the University of Virginia, said the early returns were encouraging for the "No" side, but any such results will not be conclusive until there's a complete sense of how Election Day voters trended.

The two campaigns are each hosting watch parties in downtown Columbus. A Dayton Daily News reporter is at the "Yes" side's event, hosted by Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima. Press has been sectioned off in an adjacent room from the party and is awaiting comment from the Protect Our Constitution campaign.

7:44 p.m. update:

The "No" side has the early lead in today's special election to decide Ohio Issue 1 after early absentee vote results started being released by state election officials after polls closed Tuesday.

Early returns, posted briefly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m., show Issue 1 being rejected by a ratio of 75% to 25%.

GO HERE FOR THE LATEST ELECTION RESULTS, AND RESULTS IN LOCAL COUNTIES

Early returns tend to lean toward Democrats (the "no" vote in this case), as Democrats have generally been more likely to vote early than Republicans, who typically have stronger turnouts on Election Day. Early and absentee votes this August outnumbered total votes in last year's August election.

The returns are the first glimpses Ohio has into how the rest of Election Day might unfold in a historic and unique single-issue August special election. The outcome could have a significant and long-lasting impact on Ohio politics and policy.

If Issue 1 is approved, it would make it much harder for citizen groups to put proposed Constitutional amendments on the ballot in the future. It would also change the bar (from 50% +1 to 60%) for the November abortion rights amendment to pass.

Issue 1 has three components. The first component would change the percentage of votes needed to pass proposed amendments, which can come from the legislature or the citizenry. Currently, a simple majority of Ohio voters decides whether a proposed amendment passes; Issue 1 would change that to 60%.

The second component would change what it takes for citizens to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Currently, citizens are required to hit a specific quota in at least 44 of the state's 88 counties to get a proposal on the ballot; Issue 1 would raise that to all 88 counties.

Finally, the third component would eliminate the "cure period," which gives petitioners 10 days to collect more signatures if the state's verification process finds that there weren't enough valid signatures to meet the aforementioned quotas.

This report will be updated as more official returns are posted.