COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s elections chief says more than 8,000 potential votes are yet to be tallied in a congressional special election that ended too close to call.
Ohio 12th U.S. House District special election
Total votes cast: 202,251
Troy Balderson (R)….101,574 (50.15%)
Danny O’Connor (D)….99,820 (49.29%)
Joe Manchik (G)…1,127 (0.56%)
Absentee ballots……..5,048
Provisional ballots… 3,435
-Source: Ohio Secretary of State
Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted released the information after Republican Troy Balderson ended Tuesday with a razor-thin lead of 1,754 votes over Democrat Danny O’Connor but claimed victory nevertheless.
THANK YOU #OH12! pic.twitter.com/PLQg5d2ZQf
— Troy Balderson (@Troy_Balderson) August 8, 2018
Husted says 3,435 provisional votes were cast and 5,048 absentee ballots are outstanding. That’s enough for O’Connor, the Franklin County recorder, to potentially pick up enough votes to force a mandatory recount in the 12th Congressional District. Election boards can’t begin to count those votes until Aug. 18.
Balderson, a two-term state senator, was backed by President Donald Trump, who declared Balderson’s victory — and took some credit for it — on Twitter though the race was too close to call.
When I decided to go to Ohio for Troy Balderson, he was down in early voting 64 to 36. That was not good. After my speech on Saturday night, there was a big turn for the better. Now Troy wins a great victory during a very tough time of the year for voting. He will win BIG in Nov.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 8, 2018
Turnout for the closely-watched contest was brisk, with with 37.23 percent of eligible voters going to the polls in the seven counties included in the district, according to Husted’s office.
Republicans are claiming victory for Balderson and saying it proves that Democrats’ promise of a “blue wave” of electoral victories in the November mid-term elections while Democrats say O’Connor’s strong showing is a measure of the GOP’s vulnerability.
Tonight Troy Balderson and the constituents of Ohio’s twelfth congressional district have sent a message to Democrats and media pundits across the country. America is on the right track under President Trump and Republican leadership, and the so-called ‘blue wave’ is nothing more than wishful thinking. -Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken
.@DCCC’s Chairman @repbenraylujan statement on #OH12 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QI6gHCm6n9
— Molly Mitchell (@mollyemitchell) August 8, 2018
Under state law, county elections boards cannot begin counting absentee and provisional ballots until the 11th day after the election, which will be August 18, Husted said.
The count must be completed by August 24 when Husted says the most populous county’s board of elections – Franklin County – will certify the official results and, if the margin is 0.5 percent or less, an automatic recount is triggered.