Several races in Franklin County may be close enough to warrant an automatic recount after the election is certified by the board of elections and sent to the Secretary of State, according to Aaron Sellers, Franklin County Board of Elections public information officer
Races potentially within the 0.5 percent margin after absentee ballots (received after election day) and verified provisional ballots are included in the official canvass are: Canal Winchester City Council, Reynoldsburg City Council, Reynoldsburg Board of Education, Groveport Madison Board of Education, Urbancrest Village Council, Bexley Board of Education, and Hamilton Board of Education.
Sellers said the board of elections conducted the unofficial canvass, which constitutes the unofficial election Nov. 7 results. That includes all votes cast on election day and the 28 day period of early absentee voting. Election day provisional ballots and absentee ballots not received by election day (which must be postmarked Nov. 6 and received by board of elections no later than Nov. 17 to be counted) are not included in the unofficial cavass. Those ballots are included after verification to the official canvass and certified by the board and sent to Secretary of State.
Next, the provisional affirmations prior to the official canvass are examined to verify any eligibility questions. Provisional voters have seven days to provide additional ID requirements that may have flagged them to vote a provisional ballot on election day.
Sellers said provisional voting ensures no eligible elector is denied the opportunity to cast a ballot in an election.
According to Sellers, the official canvass may begin Nov. 18 but must begin no later than Nov. 22. The board of elections must certify the election no later than Nov. 28. If a race falls within the margin of 0.5 percent, then a mandatory recount must take place. After the appropriate board of elections or the Secretary of State has ordered an automatic recount, it must take place no later than 10 days after that order.
Unofficial totals from the Franklin County Board of elections show 197,844, or 23.1 percent, of those registered in Franklin County voted in the Nov. 7 general election.
Here are the unofficial results for the Southeast area from the Nov. 7 election, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections:
•Canal Winchester Board of Education (three elected): Jon Metzler, 1,805; Brian Niceswanger, 1,757; Michael Yonnotti, 1,610; Joan Hatley, 1,423; Yuliya Hoehn, 427.
•Canal Winchester City Council (four elected): Patrick Lynch, 1,018; Mike Coolman, 970; Will Bennett, 957; Jill Amos, 931; Bob Toledo, 930; Bobbie Mershon, 919.
•Groveport Madison Board of Education (three elected): Nancy Gillespie, 2,877; Bryan Shoemaker, 2,462; Libby Gray, 2,096; Patrick Niemann, 2,057; Diana Fortner Orum, 1,970.
•Groveport City Council (four elected): Becky Hutson, 745; Edward G. Dildine, 741; Scott Lockett, 703; Marvin Stevens, 570.
•Madison Township trustee (two elected): John Pritchard, 2,127; Edward B. Dildine, 1,505; Kathleen Walsh, 1,106; Sharon Whitten, 902 Angela McDonald, 729; Deborah Miller, 725; Maria Stewart, 355.
