TOLEDO, Ohio — The unofficial voting totals are in after an "unprecedented" election for the state.
Following the cancellation of in-person voting by the Ohio Department of Health, and the setting of the new date and method by the Ohio Legislature, the Lucas County Board of Elections is announcing more than 47,000 ballots were cast by voters in Lucas County.
All absentee votes received by the Board by 7:30 p.m on Tuesday were compiled.
The Lucas County Board of Elections expects more ballots to come in to be calculated during the Official Canvass. Following certification of the Official Canvass, the board will conduct a state-mandated audit.
Toledo's Issue 1 tentatively fell on Tuesday night's vote count, denying the Kapszukiewicz administration's desired municipal income tax increase.
The vote showed 55% against and 44% for the measure. The vote is unofficial and not final, as valid provisional ballots will be included in the official count to be held no later than 21 days after the election.
Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz released the following statement Wednesday on Issue 1:
"If you look at the results based on when voters cast their ballots, it is clear that Issue 1 was on its way to victory before the election was postponed. In fact, based on the votes that came in before March 17, it looks like Issue 1 would have passed by double digits.
The reason there was so much support for Issue 1 was because our residents made it very clear to us, when we went out to talk to the community, that they wanted their roads fixed, and they wanted the city to do a better job providing our essential services like public safety and parks.
But in the last 40 days, the world has turned upside down. I know Toledoans want their roads fixed, but I don’t blame them for being cautious with their own money in these uncertain times.
As the COVID-19 crisis deepened, our residents and business owners faced great uncertainty. They are not feeling secure, many have been laid off, and the election was held amid the crisis, so the outcome is not surprising.
Moving forward, this city must find a better way to fix our roads, take care of our infrastructure, and provide the services this city and its residents need. Our focus in the near future will be to deal with the health and welfare of our city as we deal with COVID-19.
Toledo can do big things, and we have faced even tougher challenges in the past. I look forward to working with Council and our residents to chart a path toward the future."
Also on Tuesday, the TARTA levy appeared to pass 66% to 33%.
In the Democratic primary for Lucas County sheriff, Mike Navarre came out on top, preliminarily, with 62% of the vote. He'll go on to face Republican Brett Warner in the fall. Warner ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.
For all election results, you can text ELECTION to 419-248-1100 or visit wtol.com/elections
Any questions about the voting process can be directed toward the Lucas County Board of Elections at 419-213-4001.
Tuesday was the deadline for Ohio's primary election, which was pushed back from the original St. Patrick's Day date. Mail-in ballots have been accepted as an alternative voting method for the last few weeks, and the deadline to have them postmarked was Monday. Voters had until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to hand-deliver ballots to local boards of election if they weren't mailed in.
WHAT TIME WILL RESULTS COME IN?
We expect to see results start arriving after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
WHERE CAN I WATCH FOR RESULTS?
We will showcase live results all night long after the polls close at wtol.com/elections. Be sure to follow WTOL 11 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT TONIGHT?
Unlike previous elections, which provided updates from precincts in each county throughout the evening, each of the 88 county boards of elections will provide a single release of results from their county on April 28. The single release of data is because, unlike previous elections where in-person voting results at individual polling locations were reported intermittently, the vote-by-mail election means ballots come to, are processed by, and tabulated at a single location in each county. These results will include all ballots received and counted through April 28 at 7:30 p.m.
The United States Postal Service is expected to deliver large numbers of ballots Tuesday. Boards will begin tabulating these votes after 7:30 p.m. Boards have been directed to upload their results to the Secretary of State’s Office no later than 10 p.m. on April 28. However, the unprecedented nature of this election means that deadline may be unattainable in some cases and those boards will be granted an extension.
Valid provisional ballots will be included in the official count to be held no later than 21 days after the election.
The press secretary for Ohio's secretary of state is calling attention to the fact that the results Tuesday night are not finalized results.
"The results reported on the evening of April 28th are unofficial results. As you know, that is always the case on Election Night. However, the potential for a higher than usual number of vote by mail ballots that are postmarked by April 27th, but arrive at the board of elections after April 28th, means that the unofficial results may very well change by the next time election results are to be reported by law," said Maggie Sheehan. "The official canvass is completed three weeks after the conclusion of the election and will be released after a review from our office."
WHAT RACES ARE ON MY BALLOT?
What issues are impacting your area? In addition to the Toledo income tax issue and the TARTA transit levy, there are a handful of school levies within the community, and you get to select which presidential candidate you're supporting for the upcoming November election. CLICK HERE to see a sample of your local ballot so you can study up before the results start coming in.
WHEN IS THE NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?
The next presidential election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
AMONG PRIMARY RACES WE'RE WATCHING:
- President (Rep)
- President (Dem)
- Findlay Schools New Money Levy
- Van Buren Schools Proposed 1% Income Tax
- Clyde Green Springs Schools Proposed 0.5% Earned Income Tax
- Tiffin Schools 5.35 mills bond proposal
- Lucas County Commissioner (Rep)
- Lucas County Sheriff (Dem)
- Lucas County Sheriff (Rep)
- Toledo Income Tax
- Oregon Schools 4.95 mill levy
- TARTA Renewal