Residents of Ohio voted their preference toward reforming the voting system, increasing voter turnout rates and lowering taxes by re-electing J. Kenneth Blackwell secretary of state.
Blackwell, a Republican, defeated his Democratic opponent Bryan Flannery with Blackwell garnering 59 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
“We are a party that believes that the people make decisions,” Blackwell said. “We will give power back to the people, back to the individuals.”
Other than being secretary of state for Ohio since 2000, Blackwell was mayor of Cincinnati, undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Blackwell, a resident of Cincinnati, graduated with a master’s in Education from Xavier University and was a fellow at Harvard University’s school of government.
While both candidates shared a similar vision in upgrading the existing voting system and tax cuts, Blackwell emphasized the ethical aspect of the voting system. He called for a reform in the voting system in Ohio through enforcing the disclosure of all contributions to election campaigns to ensure elections are carried out with integrity.
“The Republican Party is a party of ideas,” Blackwell said. “Our ideas inspire people, but our agenda creates opportunity. We are a party that uses this state as a step for diversity.”
Flannery is serving his second term as the state representative for Lakewood and Cleveland in the Ohio General Assembly.
The main issues Flannery focused on are improving Ohio’s outdated voting system and cutting the local property tax for public schools.
Flannery, a former councilman for the city of Lakewood, attended the University of Notre Dome before becoming House Representative.
