On Nov. 7, Ohio voters passed Issues 1 and 2 which enshrined abortion rights and legalized recreational marijuana respectively. Out of the three student housing precincts, 76 of the 1,720 registered voters participated.
Nick McNeil, a junior political science and journalism double major from the Cincinnati area, split his ticket by voting against Issue 1 and for Issue 2. McNeil said he would’ve voted for Issue 1 if the law was more precise.
“I just thought [Issue 1] was too vague,” McNeil said. “If it had been more specific or thought out, I potentially could have been a yes vote.”
McNeil, a member of College Republicans, said that he isn’t very conservative concerning social issues, including marijuana and abortion. He said he didn’t see any downside with Issue 2 for the people or the state, leading him to vote in favor.
“I just don’t see why [marijuana] shouldn’t be legalized,” McNeil said.
Branden Finger, a first-year social work major, said that he would’ve voted if he was registered in Butler County. Finger wanted to vote but wasn’t informed about not being able to vote outside his home county until it was too late to fill out a mail-in ballot.
Finger, a Cleveland resident, didn’t submit an absentee ballot but would have voted in favor of both issues if he had the chance on Tuesday.
Finger said that his decisions on both issues were based on personal liberties as a citizen.
“I feel like women should be able to do whatever they want with their body,” Finger said. “I feel like weed is a great thing. Nobody should really be getting in trouble for it.”
Nicole Jordan, a sophomore biology and nutrition double major, said she wanted to vote but her schoolwork got too piled up to apply for an absentee ballot. Jordan said that despite her not voting, she was educated on the issues and knew how she wanted to vote.
Jordan would’ve voted in favor of Issue 1, so she was very happy to see the outcome across the state.
“I strongly believe in women’s rights, so I’m very happy to see the turnout,” Jordan said.
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Jordan said that her support for Issue 2 revolved around laws reflecting individualism rather than marijuana itself.
“There’s a lot of studies supporting either side,” Jordan said. “I believe it’s more up to personal choice.”
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