Columbus Bureau Poll: Issue 1 slipping; governor's race tied
Voter survey also finds Sen. Sherrod Brown comfortably ahead.
One week before
Election Day, early voting numbers are up, the governor’s race is still tied between Democrat Rich Cordray and Republican Mike DeWine, support for State Issue 1 is fading and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown appears to be cruising to a big victory, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute’s latest survey of likely voters shows DeWine at 39.4 percent, Cordray at 38.8 percent, Libertarian Travis Irvine at 4.1 percent and Green Party candidate Constance Gadell-Newton at 1.9 percent. Nearly 16 percent of Ohio voters say they have yet to decide whom they’ll back for governor.
The poll also found Brown has a 20-point lead over Republican challenger Jim Renacci in the Senate race and 17 percent are undecided. Almost 40 percent of voters said they haven’t heard enough about Renacci, a congressman from the Akron area.
“The outcome of the gubernatorial race will hinge on turnout and how late deciders break. If history is any guide, Cordray might be able to ride Brown’s coattails to the finish line,” said Lauren Copeland, a political scientist and associate director of the Community Research Institute at Baldwin Wallace.
DeWine is slated to hold a get out the vote rally with Ohio Gov. John Kasich in Columbus on Friday. Cordray is campaigning in Dayton today with congressio- nal candidate Theresa Gas- per, who is running against U.S. Rep. Mike Turner.
President Donald Trump is campaigning for Republicans across the country this week, though no stops in Ohio have been announced. Trump’s approval rating in Ohio is 44.2 percent, while 49.7 percent disapprove, according to the poll.
State Issue 1: Pollsters found support for the measure slipping compared with three weeks ago, when it led by 17 points. The updated data show 43 percent of voters support it, 39.8 percent oppose it and 17.2 percent are unde- cided about the proposed constitutional amendment.
State Issue 1 would convert low-level drug possession and drug use felonies into misdemeanors with no jail time for the first two offenses; allow certain inmates to get 25 percent of their prison time reduced if they take rehabilitative programs; and plow savings into drug treatment programs. It is opposed by prosecutors and judges, who say it would gut drug courts and lessen penalties for dealers.
In the down ticket statewide races, the poll found:
Secretary of state: Democrat Kathleen Clyde, 39.8 percent; Republican Frank LaRose, 33.7 percent; Lib- ertarian Dustin Hanna, 4.7 percent.
Auditor: Democrat Zack Space, 40.2 percent; Repub- lican Keith Faber, 32 percent; Libertarian Robert C. Coogan, 5 percent.
Attorney general: Democrat Steve Dettelbach, 40.2 percent; Republican Dave Yost, 38.9 percent.
Treasurer: Democrat Rob Richardson, 38.8 percent; Republican Robert Sprague, 36 percent.
When asked if voting in the midterm congressional elections is more important to them this year, 73.7 percent of Democrats said yes, while 58.7 percent of Republicans said yes.
The poll also found that Ohio voters rank health care, the economy, taxes, education and gun policy as the top issues.
The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Early voting numbers up; when can you vote?
So far, 737,157 Ohioans have already voted early in person or by mail, according to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.
An additional 474,400 voters have requested absentee ballots but have yet to return them, Husted’s office said Tuesday. There are nearly 8.1 million registered voters in Ohio.
Absentee voting is running higher than in the 2014 midterm elections, but voter turnout was just below 41 percent that year, and Democrat Ed FitzGerald, who proved to be a flawed candidate, lost in a landslide to Republican incumbent Gov. John Kasich.
Ohio began early and no excuse absentee voting in 2008.
Early in-person voting is open at all county boards of elections offices at the following hours:
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. now until Friday;
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday;
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday;
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. Voters have until noon Saturday to request an absentee ballot by mail from their county board of elections. Ballots mailed back must be postmarked by Monday and arrive at the local board of elections by Nov. 16 to be counted.
The polls will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Check MyOhioVote.com to download an absentee ballot request form or confirm your polling place.