Ohio History Journal

  • 1
  •  
  • 2
  •  
  • 3
  •  
  • 4
  •  
  • 5
  •  
  • 6
  •  
  • 7
  •  
  • 8
  •  
  • 9
  •  
  • 10
  •  
  • 11
  •  
  • 12
  •  
  • 13
  •  
  • 14
  •  
  • 15
  •  
  • 16
  •  
  • 17
  •  
  • 18
  •  
  • 19
  •  
  • 20
  •  
  • 21
  •  
  • 22
  •  
  • 23
  •  
  • 24
  •  
  • 25
  •  
  • 26
  •  
  • 27
  •  
  • 28
  •  
  • 29
  •  
  • 30
  •  
  • 31
  •  
  • 32
  •  
  • 33
  •  
  • 34
  •  
  • 35
  •  
  • 36
  •  

A Century of Voting

A Century of Voting

In Three Ohio Counties

 

By I. RIDGWAY DAVIS*

 

 

 

BECAUSE VOTING IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE in a democracy,

analyses of voting behavior on the national and state levels in

the United States have been of major interest to students of

history and government. Comparatively little research, how-

ever, has been forthcoming on the local level. In this study

the voting records of three Ohio counties, Ross, Pike, and

Scioto, have been examined for the period 1859-1959, a cen-

tury of political turbulence and growth.

Located in a state noted for its vigorous two-party system,

where competition between the two major parties is keen,

Ross, Pike, and Scioto counties provide significant areas for

research. Additionally, these three counties were selected

for study because of the rapid growth in recent years of the

population of the area, which resulted from the construction

of an atomic energy plant in Pike County. The first an-

nouncement was made in 1952, and during the next two years

approximately 22,000 persons moved into Ross, Pike, and

Scioto counties. It was of considerable interest to determine

if the intrusion of a large number of potential voters would

affect the established patterns of voting behavior.

Four characteristics of the counties contribute to an under-

standing of the setting: the geographic location, background

of the early residents, population trends, and the prevailing

economic situation. Geographically, the counties form a tier

in the southern part of Ohio, Ross County being the most

 

* I. Ridgway Davis is an instructor in government at the University of Con-

necticut.