UPDATES: Issue 1 fails, President Biden tweets: 'tonight democracy won'

Today is the day. Issue 1 will be decided in Ohio. August elections in the Buckeye State are typically sleepy affairs, but this hasn't been your typical August election. Nearly 700,000 Ohioans have already voted, and Issue 1 has drawn national attention for how it will impact the future of democracy in this state and possibly others.

Click here for live statewide election results as they come in.

We'll keep updating this story throughout the day.

7 AM - Secretary of State Frank LaRose issues statement on Issue 1's failure:

“I’m grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war. Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution. Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough. The radical activists that opposed Issue 1 are already planning amendments to shut parents out of a child’s life-altering medical procedure, force job killing wage mandates on small businesses, prevent law abiding citizens from protecting their families and remove critical protections for our first responders. I’ve said for months now that there’s an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn’t changed. I’m just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio’s values.”

10:33 PM — President Biden issues late-night tweet on Issue 1's failure:

View more reactions from local, state and national politicians, groups, activists and others on our story below:

9:50 PM — Stark County Board of Elections issues statement on ballot shortage

The Stark County Board of Elections posted a statement on Facebook addressing the high voter turnout in the county and the need to utilize additional paper ballots after multiple voters reported that their precincts ran out of computer ballots. Read the statement below:

8:53 PM — ISSUE 1 FAILS
With about 36% of votes counted, Vote No has an overwhelming 62% majority of the vote compared to 38% for Vote Yes, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press’s election trackers called the race for Vote No at about 8:53 p.m.

CLICK HERE to read more.

8:50 PM
Unofficial results continue to pour in, with 63% of voters picking "No."

8 PM Live update

News 5's Morgan Trau and Case Western Reserve University Law School Professor Atiba Ellis gave an update on tonight's results that have come in so far. Watch below:

7:45 PM
The first batch of results is in.

7:30 PM
Polls are closed in Ohio.

Polls are now officially closed statewide. If you are still in line at 7:30 p.m., you should still be allowed to vote.

News 5 Statehouse Reporter Morgan Trau is expected to provide an update on News 5's Facebook and YouTubepages at about 8 p.m. - tune in to watch live.

6:30 PM
Stark County precincts apparently out of computer ballots
News 5 has received multiple reports and there are several Facebook comments indicating that multiple precincts in Stark County are out of scannable ballots and voters are being asked to vote with paper ballots. The precincts affected appear to be in Jackson Township and Plain Township. Facebook users commenting on the county's Board of Elections Facebook page said there are lines of voters at a voting location in Jackson Township as voters are having to fill out paper ballots.

News 5 has reached out to the Stark County Board of Elections for confirmation and more information.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio. If you are still in line at 7:30 p.m., you should still be allowed to vote.

3 PM
Where to find election results
Live statewide election results will be displayed on our Election Results Page here after the polls close at 7:30 p.m. The results page also includes links to local county boards of elections for county-specific results.

2:20 PM
Voter turnout update
As of 2:12 p.m., with a little over five hours remaining to vote Tuesday, 221,559 total ballots have been cast for Issue 1 in Cuyahoga County, for a voter turnout of 25.44%. The number of votes cast on Election Day now exceeds the number of early and absentee ballots - 132,807 have been cast so far Tuesday compared to 88,732 early votes.

Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

See live, updated voter turnout information from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections here.

1:42 PM
Problems resolved
The Summit County ballot issue has been resolved, and the box of ballots has been counted.

12:20 PM
Polling problems extend beyond Cuyahoga Falls in Summit County
The Summit County Board of Elections is reporting that a problem with new scanners has happened at several locations. Officials tell reporter John Kosich they are working to repair or replace them.

All ballots are being stored in orange auxiliary bags as per protocol overseen by Democratic and Republican poll workers and will be scanned when the issue is resolved.

11 AM
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose planned to cast his ballot and talk to reporters at his polling location Tuesday morning. Those plans changed after a handful of protesters camped out across the street, reports the Ohio Capital Journal.

About a dozen people chanted their opposition to Issue 1 and called LaRose a coward for not showing up. A spokesman confirmed the protesters’ presence scrapped their plans but said LaRose would still vote later on Tuesday.

Despite being tasked with administering the election, LaRose’s dogged campaigning in favor of Issue 1 has made him the face of the effort to alter Ohio’s amendment process.

10:20 AM
Polling problems in Cuyahoga Falls

WEWS

In Cuyahoga Falls' Church of the Falls polling location, scanners went down. Workers told News 5's Mike Holden they are putting the ballots in a special orange box that will be counted later.

Right when the polls opened Tuesday morning in Tremont, the Wi-Fi was down at Pilgrim Church. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections said 12 voters were impacted and received provisional ballots. According to the Board of Elections, that issue has been resolved.

10 AM
Will this be the last August election?
The General Assembly eliminated local August elections last year, but statewide August elections are still on the table.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the legislature has always had the authority to set a special election, and those can happen anytime throughout the year.

"August is a rational time to do that because Ohio has had August election in the past," LaRose said.

6:30 AM
In-person voting
Polls open in Ohio at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

How to find your polling location
You can find your polling location here.

View your sample ballot here.

Will I need an ID to vote?
All voters will need to bring an acceptable identification to the poll in order to verify their identity. Click here for a list of acceptable forms of identification.

What is on the ballot?
You are voting on if you want to make the Ohio Constitution harder to amend.

Issue 1 would raise the threshold for constitutional amendments to pass from 50%+1, a simple majority, to 60%. This means that 40% of Ohioans would get to choose the law.

It requires citizen-initiated constitutional amendment campaigns to collect signatures from each of the state's 88 counties. Currently, it is 44 counties.

It would eliminate the cure period of 10 days for campaigns to gather additional signatures for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments when the original submission did not have enough valid signatures. Currently, there is a 10-day period to make up the deficit.

VOTE NO to keep the constitutional requirements the same with a simple majority.

"Our state Legislature is asking us to vote to weaken our own rights," Tatiana Rodzos, an organizer for Ohio Citizen Action said. "It's a power grab."

VOTE YES to raise the threshold and make it harder to get amendments on the ballot and passed.

“We believe that a 60% threshold is absolutely critical to protecting our constitution from these outside influences,” state Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said.