Area residents help vote down state Issue 2

North Ridgeville resident Karen Wolf, who arrived at 6:30 a.m. Nov. 7, at the North Ridgeville Education Center polling precinct, voted for Issue 1 and against Issue 2. Wolf was not alone. About 83 percent of the voters (1,893,599) in Ohio supported Issue 1, also known as Marsy’s Law, which would give crime victims and their families the right to receive notices of court proceedings as well as other related rights.

About 17 percent of voters (398,928) opposed Issue 1, according to unofficial results.

Issue 2, Ohio Drug Price Relief Act, was defeated by 79 percent (1,814,4010) to 21 percent (473,691) votes, according to unofficial results.

The Ohio Drug Price Act Relief, one of the most expensive issue-campaign in recent history, hoped to reduce the prescription drug prices for government agencies to match with the prices available to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The VA typically pays 24 percent less than the other agencies for prescription drugs.

“I voted ‘yes’ for Issue 1,” Wolf said. “I believe the victims and families should be notified.”

However, she voted against Issue 2 because “at the statewide level, it won’t work.”

Similar views were expressed by Monya Sparks, who cast her ballot at a Lutheran church polling precinct in Avon.

“The state doesn’t even know if it would work,” Sparks said.

A lack of “enough detail” was another reason Sparks said she opposed Issue 2.

The reduced prices proposed under Ohio Drug Price Relief Act were for “the drugs the VA doesn’t buy or need,” Sparks said, noting the unknown outcome was another deterrent.

Yvonne Kelly agreed, noting Issue 2 would have lowered the cost of prescription medicines to match the cost available to VA patients for those medicines.

“What if I need something not available to the vets?” Kelly asked. “They could charge me whatever they can. So, I voted no.”

Alack of the clarity about Issue 2 was a major turn off for many voters.

“You know, really, that one is very complicated,” said Sandra Bragg, after voting at the precinct on Clemens Avenue in Elyria. “I know that it has something to do with money. I just said ‘no.’

“Honestly, I don’t understand mostly about it.”

In spite of the vague language, another Elyria resident, Jessica Licis, supported the issue.

“I would vote against pharmaceutical companies, so I would vote ‘yes,’” Licis said. “It’s hard to know about the pros and cons it would do.

“The VA needs to let the public know what they pay.”

After casting his ballot at the Elyria Public Library System polling precinct, Sam Battle said he voted ‘no’ because Issue 2 was poorly written and he was not convinced it would bring down prescription drug costs.

“I don’t think it’s quite clear on what’s going on, and being a senior citizen, I don’t think senior citizens should be paying all the money as they claim they might be,” Battle said.

Raising similar concerns, Lorain resident Cheryl Shaffer said “there are too many unknowns on the issue to vote ‘yes’ for it.”

Over the past 10 years, prices of prescription drugs have skyrocketed, Shaffer said.

David Johnson, also of Lorain, echoed Shaffer’s views.

“We already have to pay so much,” Johnson said. “We could end up paying more and not be able to get the same prescriptions we need.”

David Dolan, another Elyria resident, said he voted for Issue 2 to oppose the drug companies’ control over the cost of prescription drugs.

“The ‘no’ was going to benefit the drug companies, so this way they don’t have rule over the whole thing,” Dolan said.

Rick Coker, also of Elyria, agreed with Dolan.

“Most of the people I’m affiliated with, retired union members, everybody is for it, and the big pharmaceutical companies are against it, so that tells me something,” Coker said.

Sheffield Lake resident Tom Darnold said, “Voting yes on this issue would be ludicrous.” “My back prescriptions are already costing me close to $650 a year,” Darnold said. “I couldn’t pay more than that.”

Lorain County Community College journalism students Malik Anderson, Tim Edwards, Madelyn Hill, Jonathan Kapalin, Kerri Klatt, Andre Benedict Malabanan, Logan Mencke, Maria Alejandra Rey and Zachary Smith contributed to this story.