Photo courtesy of Associated Press | Sen. Sherrod Brown (above) won re-election on Nov. 6. Republicans won all but two state-level elected offices in Ohio and former Attorney General Mike DeWine became governor. Voter turnout in Ohio was about 30 percent.
The results of Election Day 2018 are in with Republicans sweeping all but two state-level elected offices in Ohio.
In Hamilton County, Ohio Congressional District 1 re-elected Republican Steve Chabot and District 2 re-elected Republican Brad R. Wenstrup.
On the national level, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives while Republicans strengthened their majority in the Senate.
Ohio has a total of 16 seats in the House, four of which are taken by Democrats and 12 by Republicans. Hamilton County is one of the only districts in Ohio to remain blue in both the 2016 and 2018 elections.
Republican Mike DeWine won the governorship with 51 percent of the vote. Democrat Sherrod Brown won re-eletion for his second term. Voter turnout was in the 30 percent range for this election as opposed to presidential election years which was in the high 70 percent range.
Ohio has the most infrequent voting patterns. According to Cincinnati Magazine approximately 1.2 million registered voters have been on-again, off-again voting since 2011, more than any other state.
Sophomore education major Lillie Baumgartner shared sentiment with many non-voters saying, “I’m not sure how to register to vote and never got around to it especially because non-presidential years seem much less important.”
Cincinnati Magazine also reported that Hamilton, Franklin and Cuyahoga counties make up 29 percent of Ohio’s total vote and nearly all net population growth occurred in these counties.
Young voters did not showup to the polls in Ohio. These voters, who tend to vote Democrat, allowed the 65 and older age group to have more importance. This age group usually votes Republican. The turnout among working-age, working class white voters was around 54 percent and is largely attributed to the Republican victories. This strong turnout was tied to this demographic.
First-year history major Rachel Purpura sent in her absentee ballot to Illinois this year.
“I think the voter turnout being as big as it was this year is extremely important because it means that things that need changing may finally get that change,” Purpura said. With many college students choosing to send in absentee ballots this year across the nation, there was a much larger voter turnout in younger age groups.
As an education major, Baumgartner feels strongly about the way we talk about voting in schools.
“I never bothered to educate myself on what voting means or entails because I was never taught,” Baumgartner said. “There needs to be more education on voting in the classroom. Government classes should teach more regarding how to get out and vote and what these candidates stand for.”
Going forward, Democrats will be heading a variety of House committees which grants them the authority to require testimony and documents from key officials in the Trump administration.
They are expected to challenge President Trump on policy issues such as climate change, coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and regulation on Wall Street.
Republicans maintained control of the Senate and are hoping to regulate and control prescription drug prices as well as continue to roll back the Affordable Care Act.
They also look to continue tax and spending cuts, international trade and immigration restrictions.
By: Gillen Faenza | Guest Writer