OHIO, USA — Ohio voters who cast provisional ballots in the general election can reconcile them with their local boards of elections until 5 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Secretary of State's office.
The 88 boards of elections in Ohio will be open to the public on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Voters can cast provisional ballots when their eligibility to vote in a particular election is in question for reasons such as not having valid identification on the day they voted or having an outdated registration address.
Information on acceptable identification can be found here.
For the ballot to count, a board of elections must verify both the voter's eligibility and the ballot itself.
According to a press release Thursday afternoon from Frank LaRose's office, there are 137,879 outstanding provisional ballots in Ohio.
Provisional ballots can often decide tight races that can't be called on election night. In northwest Ohio, the race for the state's 9th Congressional District is one of those. With 99% of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press, incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur holds a slim lead of 1,193 votes over state Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) as of Thursday night.
The day after Election Day, Tim Monaco, the Lucas County Board of Election's deputy director, said there are 4,000 provisional ballots left in the county.
“Every legal vote matters, and there’s still time for Ohioans who voted a provisional ballot to confirm their information and make sure their vote is included in the certified official results,” LaRose said.
The secretary of state added that other contests in Ohio could also be decided by provisional ballots.
To find your local board of elections, click here. Lucas County's is at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave.
For more information about provisional voting in Ohio, click here.