ADVERTISEMENT

    We Might Not Know Who Won Ohio Tonight, and That’s OK

    By Tyler Buchanan

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Which presidential candidate is going to win Ohio?

    Donald Trump and Joe Biden both have a good chance. But it’s possible that we will all head to bed tonight not knowing which way the Buckeye State voted.

    If so, that’s OK. Here is a quick explanation of why that is, and what you can expect to happen.

    This election season, Ohioans have cast absentee ballots in record numbers — in large part because of the pandemic. Voters by the millions have opted to mail in their ballots or drop them off at their county board of elections office.

    Voters had to get their mail-in ballots postmarked by Monday in order for them to be counted. Ohio allows elections offices to receive ballots up to 10 days after the election.

    There will be a chunk of ballots that will not be received by Tuesday to be added to the election night totals. Thankfully, we’re going to have a good sense tonight of how many ballots that may be. More on that in a minute.

    Pictured is the Franklin County Board of Elections drop box. Photo by Tyler Buchanan.

    There is another category of ballots that will not be included tonight: provisional ballots. These are ballots in which the voter’s eligibility is, for whatever reason, in question. A standard example might be a voter who casts a ballot at the incorrect polling location.

    Counties do not include provisional ballots in that evening’s results, instead announcing separately how many were cast. After the election, officials review each ballot to determine if they are eligible for counting.

    In a normal year, there are not too many provisional ballots to worry about. This year is different. A person who requested an absentee ballot but decides instead to vote in person today is forced to cast a provisional ballot. So long as they are otherwise eligible, the vote will get counted. It just won’t be included in the election night totals.

    One other factor involves the ballot “cure period.” When Ohioans cast ballots by mail or drop box, elections officials first check to make sure the ballot is eligible to be counted. There are various reasons a ballot might be marked as deficient, such as a voter forgetting to include a signature. 

    Boards of elections contact voters if there is an issue with the ballot. Ohio law allows voters time to fix the error — up to seven days after Election Day. This year, that deadline is Nov. 10.

    To recap, here are the (eligible) votes that will be included in the tonight’s results:

    • Early in-person votes
    • Absentee ballots received by mail or dropped off to elections boards by today
    • In-person votes cast at polling places today

    Here are the (eligible) votes that will not be included in tonight’s results:

    • Absentee ballots received by mail through Nov. 13
    • Provisional ballots 
    • Deficient absentee ballots “cured” by voters through Nov. 10

    As for the outstanding absentee ballots, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has committed to announcing tonight how many of those are still out there. This figure will be the number of ballots requested by Ohio voters that have not already been received by boards of elections as of tonight. 

    This voting sticker, designed by student Emily Legg, was chosen in May to be the new sticker in Ohio. Photo courtesy the Secretary of State’s Office.

    That figure will help to explain why Ohio might not know the presidential winner tonight, or perhaps other winners of down-ballot races.

    Let’s say Secretary LaRose announces there are 200,000 outstanding ballots not yet received. If Trump or Biden finish the night with a 100,000-vote lead, it is impossible to declare a winner (even unofficially) since those outstanding ballots might impact the result.

    In other words, the only way Ohio could reasonably declare a winner tonight is if one candidate racks up a major lead — a lead that is larger than the number of votes yet to be counted. Given that polls indicate the race here is a deadlocked tie, it seems possible but not a guarantee. 

    So, just how long will Ohioans have to theoretically wait?

    On Nov. 14, boards of elections can begin the “official canvass” of votes. The state elections calendar dictates that boards have until Nov. 24 to complete this process.

    But Secretary LaRose is directing boards to follow an “expedited” schedule. LaRose has told the 88 counties to begin their official canvass on Nov. 14 and finish counting by Nov. 18.

    It could take a few weeks. That’s worth it to make sure Ohio has an accurate count that includes all eligible votes. 

    This article was republished with permission from Ohio Capital Journal. For more in Ohio political news, visit www.ohiocapitaljournal.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Intel Gets More Federal Funding for Ohio Production Plants

    Nearly $20 billion in federal grants and loans is on its way to Intel to support work on semiconductor fabs in Ohio and around the country. The funding is part of the CHIPS Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. Ohio’s New Albany-area Intel facility currently under construction stands to benefit substantially.

    Ohio Weather is Getting Weirder. Is It Time to Talk About Climate Change?

    For two years running, Ohio has seen what used to be rare February tornadoes, followed by a deadly outbreak just last week. But news coverage of the twisters almost completely omitted any mention of climate change.

    Demand Grows for Ohio’s Private School Voucher Program

    There have been more than 91,100 applications for Ohio’s private school voucher expansion program so far this school year — a dramatic increase compared to previous years. 

    Will Ohio Ever End Gerrymandering?

    Some of the leaders of a campaign to reform redistricting in Ohio say the process of drawing districts may be complicated, but making necessary changes to end gerrymandering isn’t: “Political insiders have no business being in the process.”

    Ohio Colleges Impacted by Supreme Court’s Anti-Diversity Ruling

    At least seven Ohio public universities are reviewing scholarships in the wake of comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made about race-based scholarships after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions. 
    Ohio Capital Journal
    Ohio Capital Journalhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com
    The Ohio Capital Journal is a hard-hitting, independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to connecting Ohioans to their state government and its impact on their lives. The Capital Journal combines Ohio state government coverage with relentless investigative journalism, deep dives into the consequences of policy, political insight and principled commentary.
    ADVERTISEMENT