TOLEDO (WTOL) - Toledo voters said yes to the “Keep the Jail Downtown” initiative in Toledo’s special election Tuesday night.
The passage of this issue changes the city charter and limits where Lucas Co. officials can build a jail. Essentially, it allows the jail to only be renovated or rebuilt in downtown Toledo.
“Keep the Jail Downtown” passed with 79.89 percent of the vote. Of Toledo’s registered voters, 8.9 percent showed up at the polls.
In November, a levy to fund construction on North Detroit was overwhelmingly turned down by voters.
A grass roots group, Keep the Jail in Downtown Toledo, began a petition in 2018. While their initiative was denied the ballot in November, after a legal battle they were able to make it onto this special election ballot.
The group feels confident that voters stand with them and that county leaders should respect the results of the election.
“I would like to see us start trying to come together as a community, both with our commissioners as well as with our council members, um, but they do need to understand that they do work for us and they should be working with us,” said Rebecca of Keep the Jail in Downtown Toledo.
Group members said that they don’t know exactly what comes next, but they’re hopeful we can come to an agreement together.
The Lake Erie Bill of Rights was also passed on Tuesday, receiving 61.37 percent of the vote.
Read more about the Lake Erie Bill of Rights here.
