By JULIE CARR SMYTH
AP Statehouse CorrespondentCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio voters struck hard by the economy opened their wallets to veterans Tuesday and sided with large farm operators in a battle over livestock care.
A proposal to allow casinos in four Ohio cities was maintaining its lead with 45 percent of precincts reporting, after an expensive campaign that focused on bringing jobs to a state where unemployment has topped 10 percent.
The casino issue had garnered about 55 percent of the vote with several important big counties yet to be counted. It is the fifth attempt in 20 years to open the state to some new form of gambling, this time with casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
All previous gambling issues failed. Ohio would become the 39th state to legalize casinos if the measure were approved and would join neighboring casino states Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
A ballot issue creating a new board that oversees livestock care was approved by 65 percent of voters, with 54 percent of precincts reporting. The issue was intended to thwart efforts by the Humane Society of the United States to outlaw holding sows, hens and veal calves in cramped cages or crates.
Michael Markarian, the Humane Society's chief operating officer, said the group will return to Ohio with a future ballot measure that protects animals.
"By packaging Issue 2 as a pro-animal and pro-food safety measure, the factory farming interests really did everything they could to ensure its passage," he said. "We never really viewed it as a poisonous measure but we viewed it as an empty one, because it doesn't achieve any reforms for animal welfare."
Large farm operators mounted a $4 million campaign to pass the issue, which was backed by Gov. Ted Strickland, while environmental, animal rights and other activists fought it mostly through the press and the Internet.
Issue 1, which would pay bonuses of up to $1,000 to war veterans who served in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq, was approved by 73 percent of voters, with 55 percent of precincts reporting.
Voting was going smoothly statewide except for a glitch in Summit County, which includes Akron. The county ran out of ballots around 5 p.m. and had to turn away some voters. Poll workers contacted them and asked them to return after printing more ballots.
Twinsburg, Green and Tallmadge all had local issues, including for schools and a tax increase, that led to a surge in turnout that was unexpected among local election officials.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said turnout in Summit County could approach 40 percent. Polls still closed at the scheduled time of 7:30 p.m.
Backers of the casino issue spent more than $35 million pushing the Ohio Jobs & Growth plan, which they said would create as many as 40,000 temporary and permanent jobs.
Critics, including a rival casino operator that spent nearly $6 million, doubted the figure.
Combined the two campaigns spent more than presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain spent trying to win the pivotal swing state in 2008.
Several big-city mayor's seats are up for election as well, including those in Cincinnati and Cleveland.
The two sides of the casino campaign were funded mostly by Penn National Gaming for the issue and MTR Gaming Inc. chairman Jeffrey Jacobs against.
Penn was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert in its campaign. Gilbert planned an appearance after the Cavs game Tuesday night.
Former Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Art Schlichter also got involved in the issue, campaigning against casinos by pointing to the gambling addiction that landed him behind bars and ruined his blossoming career in the NFL.
He appeared on behalf of one of four different political action committees created to oppose the casino measure. And some of the most vocal criticism came from church groups and the conservative
Ohio Policy Roundtable, which spent little but used pulpits and public appearances to fight it.
The University of Cincinnati jobs study predicted 39,251 jobs and $4 billion in overall economic impact from the four casino sites. The social costs of expanded gambling were not considered.
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Associated Press Writer Stephen Majors in Columbus contributed to this report.
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On The Net:
Pro-Casino Campaign: www.yesonissue3.org
Anti-Casino Campaign: www.truthpac.org
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
