TOLEDO, Ohio —
The race for Ohio's 9th Congressional District could affect the balance of power in Washington, but it hasn't been called between incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin yet.
The district covers parts of eight counties in northwest Ohio, which are still waiting for provisional and outstanding absentee ballots to be returned.
Directors of the different counties's boards of elections say there are more than 8,000 provisional and outstanding absentee ballots that could be counted.
Tim Monaco, the Lucas County Board of Elections' deputy director said there are over 4,000 provisional ballots left for Lucas County alone.
Erie County has 849 provisional ballots, Fulton County has 479 provisional ballots and Sandusky County has 600 provisional ballots left.
In Ohio, a recount will automatically happen when the difference between candidates in a race is one-half of one percent of the total votes. Kaptur holds a razor-thin lead of about 1,200 votes, or 0.3%, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday.
A recount will only happen once each board of elections finishes conducting an official canvass and finalizes its results. This process could take until Nov. 20.
The secretary of state will then set a period of time in which a recount will happen and each board of elections will follow procedures to conduct the recount.
Despite the race not being called, Kaptur's campaign issued a winning statement early Wednesday morning saying, "Tonight, the people of Ohio’s 9th District have spoken, and I am deeply grateful for the trust they have placed in me to continue fighting for working families, creating good-paying jobs, protecting healthcare for everyone, and securing Social Security and Medicare so Ohioans can retire with dignity. This campaign has always been about the strength and resilience of our communities, and tonight we celebrate not just a victory but a renewed commitment to the belief that what America makes and grows, makes and grows America."
Merrin wrote on social media saying, "Our team is working to ensure every vote is properly counted so an accurate tally can be determined. There are thousands of provisional ballots left to be counted & absentee ballots still to be delivered. We are beyond grateful to every supporter as we navigate this process."
Third-party candidate, Tom Pruss, who ran as a libertarian, received 4% of the vote, close to 15,000 votes.