Your Vote Ohio

Donald Trump’s biggest applause line at rallies in Ohio continues to be a promise: “Don’t worry; we’re going to build a wall.” It’s a line that oddly resonates in a state where the experience with immigration is far different from most of the country. Ohio has only about a third the national average when it comes to the percentage – 4 percent -- of foreign-born people living here. The state ranks 12th from the bottom. And of that tiny group of immigrants, fewer than one-in-five is here without the necessary papers. Moreover, support for Trump is strongest in the counties where immigrants are least likely to be found – if not leaving. Polling of Ohioans for the Your Vote Ohio project shows an odd disconnect on the issue. Asked in an open-ended question to name the top issues in 2016, immigration doesn’t make the top 10. But when asked to define the reasons they like either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, it’s his stand on immigration that helps Ohioans define Trump as a good candidate.