Casino, livestock issues are still alive

COLUMBUS — Back in September, I provided my predictions on the outcomes of the three statewide issues that voters decided last week.

I wrote at the time that the first two were sure bets but Issue 3 would be tougher to call. Looks like I was in the ballpark on two of the three:

UIssue 1, Veterans Bonuses: As expected, Issue 1 passed by the widest margin of the three, with 72 percent approving and 28 percent opposed, according to unofficial results posted by the Secretary of State. I projected a 75 percent approval of the issue, which had virtually no vocal opposition in the weeks leading up to election day.

At least one newspaper (The Toledo Blade) urged a “no” vote on the issue, and the few veterans I talked to said they weren’t supporting bonus payments given the present economic climate.

Most Ohioans agreed that veterans of recent and ongoing military conflicts in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq deserve a few extra bucks for their efforts.

But don’t expect checks anytime soon. State veterans officials say it will take about a year to develop rules, sell the bonds and review applications for eligibility before any bonus payments are sent out.

UIssue 2, Livestock Care Commission: Also as expected, Issue 2 passed by a wide margin, with 64 percent approving and 36 percent opposed, according to the unofficial results. I projected final approval, with more than 60 percent of voters in favor of the amendment.

There was more vocal opposition to this issue as election day approached. Though both Democrats and Republicans backed the measure, many major Ohio newspapers urged “no” votes on it, questioning the need to amend the constitution for the creation of a board and voicing concern about potential impacts on small farmers.

But this isn’t the final word on livestock regulations, with animal rights folks promising a new campaign next year.

“Now that the Issue 2 campaign is over, we can get on with such real reform — a measure to phase out the extreme confinement of animals in veal crates, gestation crates, and battery cages, where they cannot even turn around and stretch their limbs,” Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a released statement. “Both sound science and common sense show that these confinement systems are inhumane and should be phased out. We decided to spend nearly no money against Issue 2 and to reserve our energy and resources for an effort to promote the humane treatment of animals, protect food safety and the environment, and allow Ohio farmers to remain competitive in the decades ahead.”

UIssue 3, Casinos: I had the right numbers but the sides switched in my prediction on Issue 3. It passed by a margin of 53 percent-47 percent, according to unofficial results. I had those numbers but with the issue failing.

I based that on the results of four earlier casino issues, all of which failed. The closest casino-backers came to passing an issue was in 2006, when the final vote was 57 percent opposed, 43 percent in favor. In the other three, the “No” votes totaled 62 percent or more.

The casino backers’ focus on jobs and economic growth were likely the biggest factors in the issue’s passage. Too many Ohioans are desperate for work, and talk of 34,000 jobs was enticing.

But, again, approval of the ballot issue is the first step in the process. Lawmakers still have to enact enabling legislation, a process that likely will include more than a little Statehouse criticism.

And House Republicans already have begun chattering about new constitutional amendments to correct what they call shortcomings in Issue 3, including upping the state’s share of casino revenues.

X Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at Ohio Capital Blog.