November 9, 2006

If it seemed that Yellow Springers were evenly divided on Election Day for and against Issue 21, the Village property tax levy, that was because — they were. The unofficial vote count late Tuesday night, with four out of four precincts reporting, was 999 votes for Issue 21 and 997 votes against.

The unofficial results amount to a statistical tie that will be recounted in the official count on Nov. 22, according to Lynn McCoy, Greene County Board of Elections deputy director. McCoy said on Wednesday morning that all Election Day results are considered unofficial. The official count will include as yet uncounted provisional and late absentee votes. On Tuesday night, Board of Elections Chairman Don Hollister stated that the county has about 2,500 to 3,000 as yet uncounted absentee and provisional ballots, although the number from Yellow Springs is not yet known.

After Nov. 22, election officials will decide if an official recount will take place, McCoy said. While it is “likely” that a recount will then take place if the official vote totals are extremely close, the board at this point “can’t say there will be a recount,” she said. An automatic recount takes place when there is less than one half of one percent difference in unofficial vote totals.

Issue 21 is a five-year 8.4 mill property tax levy which would raise about $743,000 annually for Village operations. Council voted in August to put the levy on the November ballot, citing this year’s Village general fund deficit of about $368,000 and a projected 2007 deficit of about $400,000. Currently, the main source of general fund revenues is the Village income tax, and income tax revenues have been dropping due to a combination of an aging population and a loss of local jobs, Council members have said.

While the general fund was in deficit this year, the Village 2006 budget was balanced because the Village was able to draw down reserves from other funds.

Following is breakdown of Yellow Springs voting on Issue 21 by precinct:
440: yes, 261; no, 303
441: yes, 207; no, 254
442: yes, 243; no, 228
443: yes, 288; no, 212

Two county levies fail, although village votes yes
While Yellow Springs voters were evenly divided regarding Issue 21, the Village property tax levy, they voted overwhelmingly to support three Greene County levies. However, on a county-wide basis, two of the levies went down to defeat.

Both levies for the Greene County Career Center were defeated county-wide. With 96.5 percent of ballots counted late Tuesday night, 50.97 percent of Greene County voters said no to Issue 7, the school’s 0.75 mill replacement tax levy, and 49.03 percent voted yes. The permanent improvement levy would have generated $2.4 million annually for the school district.

In Yellow Springs, however, voters supported Issue 7, with 1,384 voters, or 70.18 percent, casting yes votes, and 588 voters, or 29.82 percent, voting no.

Greene County voters turned down Issue 8, the Career Center’s additional 0.25 mill tax levy, by a wider margin, with 63.39 percent of voters saying no and 36.61 percent voting yes, with 96.5 percent of ballots counted. The additional levy was to be used for repairing, renovating and improving school grounds for expanded programs.

In Yellow Springs, voters said yes to Issue 8, with 1,145 votes, or 58.27 percent, going for the levy and 820, or 41.73 percent, voting against.

Greene County voters said yes to Issue 9, a 0.5 mill replacement tax levy for the Greene County Comined Health District, to be used for carrying out the district’s health programs. As of late Tuesday night, with 96.5 percent of votes counted, 59.67 percent of voters cast yes votes, and 40.33 percent said no.

In Yellow Springs, voters overwhelmingly endorsed Issue 9, with 1,605 voters, or 80.25 percent, supporting the levy, and 395, or 19.75 percent, voting against.

State and national races (back to top)

Strickland wins governor
On Nov. 7, Ohio Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell lost the race for governor to Democrat Ted Strickland by a large margin. Across the state voters favored Strickland by 59 percent to Blackwell’s 38 percent of the vote. In Greene County it was a closer race, with Strickland getting 49 percent to Blackwell’s 47.7 percent of the vote.

In Yellow Springs, Strickland won in a cakewalk, as voters expressed their preference for new leadership in the governor’s mansion. Strickland was favored 1,808 votes, or almost 89 percent of the total, to Blackwell’s 190 votes, or 9 percent of the ballots.

Governor’s race, by precinct:
440: Strickland, 449; Blackwell, 58
441: Strickland, 413, Blackwell, 48
442: Strickland, 452, Blackwell, 27
443: Strickland, 444, Blackwell, 57

Brown beats DeWine
Ohio voters chose to send a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, as Sherrod Brown beat incumbent Mike DeWine, who grew up in Yellow Springs. Brown received 55 percent of the vote as opposed to DeWine’s 45 percent. But voters in Greene County showed support for their native son, giving DeWine 58 percent of the vote, versus 41.8 percent for Brown.

Yellow Springs voters went with the rest of the state in support of the Democrat Brown as their new senator. In total for the village, Brown received 1,719 votes, or 84 percent, a landslide over DeWine’s 315 votes, or 15 percent of the vote.

Senate race, by precinct:
440: Brown, 468; DeWine, 99
441: Brown, 406; DeWine, 56
442: Brown, 433; DeWine, 58
443: Brown, 412; DeWine, 102

Hobson is reelected
U.S. Representative Dave Hobson, Republican, was reelected for the 7th District seat in a clear victory over his Democratic opponent William Conner. Statewide, the incumbent took 125,136 votes to the challenger’s 80,052 votes. Greene County voters also chose to support Hobson by a resounding 66 percent over Conner’s 34 percent of the county vote.

Results in Yellow Springs were similar, with Hobson taking 1,608 votes, or 79 percent, to Conner’s 409, or 20 percent.

House race, by precinct:
440: Hobson, 455; Conner, 109
441: Hobson, 377; Conner, 83
442: Hobson, 412; Conner, 75
443: Hobson, 364; Conner, 142

Crockett loses state race, but not in YS
Yellow Springs resident Connie Crockett lost the race for U.S. Representative of the 84th District to Republican incumbent Christopher Widener. Ohio voters supported Widener by 25,444 votes, to Crockett’s 16,334. In Greene County the race was a little closer, with Widener still ahead by 58 percent of the vote to Crockett’s 42 percent.

But at home in the village, Yellow Springs voters showed overwhelming support for Crockett, who received 1,745 votes as opposed to 245 votes for Widener.

House race, by precinct
440: Crockett, 481; Widener, 78
441: Crockett, 414; Widener, 43
442: Crockett, 435; Widener, 45
443: Crockett, 415; Widener, 79

Statewide ballot issues (back to top)

Voters down Issue 4
State Issue 4 to amend Ohio’s Constitution to allow smoking in restaurants and bars and prohibit future no-smoking laws was shot down by Ohio voters this week with 1,846,408 voting against it and 1,033,842 voting for it.

Yellow Springs voters voiced a similar discontent with the proposed amendment, voting 1,584 against it and 440 for it.

Issue 5 passes
In a trend this election season that has Yellow Springs voting with the rest of the state, local voters agreed with voters statewide to pass Issue 5, which will prohibit smoking in public places and places of employment. In Ohio the issue passed 1,652,708 to 1,205,416. In Yellow Springs the issue passed 1,519 votes in favor of the issue to 503 votes against it.

Minimum wage increase
Voters approved Issue 2, a constitutional amendment to raise the Ohio minimum wage to $6.85. Statewide, the issue passed with 1,544,739 “yes” votes, and 1,232,666 “no” votes. Yellow Springs voters felt even stronger about the passage of Issue 2, with 1,500 in favor of it and 459 against it.

No gambling on Issue 3
By a fair margin, Ohio told the makers of Issue 3, that would have amended the constitution to allow 31,500 slot machines at Ohio racing tracks, that more gambling is not what this state needs. Ohioans cast 1,662,990 votes against the issue and 1,217,186 votes for it. In Yellow Springs the percentages were even further apart, with 1,490 votes against the issue and 522 votes for it.

County races (back to top)

County commissioner
While villager Michael Gardner thumped his opponent, Alan Anderson, in Yellow Springs, he went down in defeat to Anderson in a close county-wide race. In Greene County, 29,445 voters, or 53.47 percent, cast votes for Anderson, while 25,627, or 46.53 percent, went for Gardner.

In Yellow Springs 1,785 voters, or 89.61 percent, chose Gardner, while 207 voters, or 10.39 percent, went for Anderson.

County commissioner race, by precinct:
440: Gardner, 500; Anderson, 61
441: Gardner, 419; Anderson, 37
442: Gardner, 444; Anderson, 38
443: Gardner, 422; Anderson, 71

County auditor
Luwanna Delaney easily won the race for county auditor, beating David Brandenburg. County-wide, Delaney received 33,284 votes, or 60.42 percent, and Brandenburg received 221,807 votes, or 39.58 percent.

In Yellow Springs, villagers moved in a different direction, giving Democrat Brandenburg a huge margin. In town 1,615 voters, or 82.27 percent, supported Brandenburg, while 348, or 17.73 percent, voted for Delaney.

County auditor race, by precinct:
440: Brandenburg, 460; Delaney, 95
441: Brandenburg, 376; Delaney, 72
442: Brandenburg, 403; Delaney, 69
443: Brandenburg, 376; Delaney, 112

Other state races (back to top)

Statewide, Ohioans also favored more Democrats than Republicans.

Attorney General
The state chose Democrat Marc Dann over Republican Betty Montgomery for attorney general. Statewide, 1,422,270 voters chose Dann, while 1,354,112 voted for Montgomery. In Yellow Springs, Dann won easily, as 1,639 local voters, or 83.28 percent, cast their votes for Dann, while 329, or 16.72 percent, voted for Montgomery.

State Auditor
For state auditor, the Republicans were the winners. Statewide, 1,423,613 cast votes for Republican Mary Taylor, while 1,311,406 chose Democrat Barbara Sykes. In Yellow Springs, the Democrats won the day, with 1,704 villagers choosing Sykes and 271 voting for Taylor.

Secretary of State
For secretary of state, Democrat Jennifer Brunner won the office, garnering 1,455,535 votes compared to 1,144,279 cast for Republican Greg Hartmann. Native son John Eastman, an independent candidate, won 69,118 votes. In the village, Brunner also won, with 1,602 votes, or 80.30 percent, compared to 212 votes, or 10.63 percent, for Eastman and 165 votes, or 8.27 percent, for Hartmann.

State Treasurer
Democrat Richard Cordray won the race for state treasurer, with 1,543,954 votes, compared to 1,197,378 votes cast for Republican Sandra O’Brien. In Yellow Springs, 1,764 voters, or 89.32 percent, chose Cordray, while 211 voters, or 10.68 percent, chose O’Brien.

State Supreme Court
For State Supreme Court justices, villagers chose William O’Neill over Terrence O’Donnell, with O’Neill receiving 961 votes compared to 495 for O’Donnell. Statewide, O’Donnell won, with 1,341,644 votes compared to 936,700 votes cast for O’Neill.

Supreme Court
In the other Supreme Court justice race, villagers chose Ben Espy, with 1,179 votes, over Robert Cupp with 330 votes. However, Cupp won the state race with 1,222,542 votes, compared to 1,025,335 cast for Espy.

Provisional ballot alert (back to top)

If you cast a provisional ballot because you were unable or declined to provide proof of identity, or your right to vote was challenged at the polling place, you may need to provide proof of identity to the Board of Elections office within 10 days after the election. For information, call the Provisional Ballot Hotline, 866-644-6868, or call or visit the Board of Elections office at 651 Dayton-Xenia Road, Xenia, Ohio, Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., 937-225-5656.