Recapping November’s General Election
This story was written by Jack Slemenda and Claire Del Vita.
The 2023 general election in Ohio was headlined by Issues 1 and 2, both of which passed. The issues will protect the right to an abortion under the State Constitution and legalize the possession and sale of marijuana, respectively. Voters in Athens, Ohio, also re-elected Mayor Steve Patterson for a third term and elected several others to be members of the city council.
Athens County saw an overall voter turnout rate of 47.03% for this November’s general election. In comparison, Athens County had a 37.77% voter turnout for this past August’s special election and a 49.58% turnout for the general election in November 2022.
Note: Issue decisions and candidate names in bold signify the decision or winner of each race. All data listed are results from Athens County and can be found on the Athens County Board of Elections website.
Issue 1
Total votes cast: 17,558
Yes: 12,583
No: 4,975
Issue 2
Total votes cast: 17,438
Yes: 12,096
No: 5,342
Mayor for the City of Athens
Total votes cast: 4,306
Dem. Steve Patterson: 3,490
Damon Krane: 816
President of Athens City Council
Total votes cast: 3,659
Dem. Samuel E. Crowl: 3,659
Auditor for the City of Athens
Total votes cast: 3,624
Dem. Kathy Hecht: 3,624
Director of Law for the City of Athens
Total votes cast: 3,581
Dem. Lisa Eliason: 3,581
Member of Athens City Council at large
Total votes cast: 8,061
Dem. Beth Clodfelter: 2,684
Dem. Micah McCarey: 2,724
Dem. Jessica Thomas: 2,653
Member of Athens City Council (first ward)
Total votes cast: 756
Dem. Solveig Spjeldness: 756
Member of Athens City Council (second ward)
Total votes cast: 822
Dem. Jeffrey Risner: 822
Member of Athens City Council (third ward)
Total votes cast: 934
Dem. Michael Harrison Burchby Wood: 934
Member of Athens City Council (fourth ward)
Total votes cast: 891
Dem. Alan G. Swank: 891
In other election news, Gov. Andy Beshear (Dem.) won his bid for re-election in Kentucky, a state that has historically leaned more Republican. Beshear defeated Kentucky’s Attorney General Daniel Cameron (Rep.), who was backed by former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Democrats also saw wins in Virginia, overtaking the state’s House of Delegates and retaining a majority in the state Senate. These wins were a blow to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (Rep.), who has made multiple attempts to implement conservative policies in the state, including an abortion ban. He expressed his disdain with the outcome to reporters Wednesday night.
“I am a little disappointed, to be clear,” Youngkin said, according to an article by the Associated Press.
Two state elections led to historic wins. Gabe Amo, former White House aide to President Joe Biden, won his bid for Congress, becoming the first Black American from Rhode Island to do so. In Philadelphia, a woman was elected mayor for the first time in the city’s history through Democrat Cherelle Parker.
