COLUMBUS – After more than 5 ½ million votes were cast and counted in the Nov. 8 general election, three local issues in Ohio were decided by a single vote or tied, according to data released Sunday by the state’s top elections official.
Over the past three years, Secretary of State Jon Husted says 112 elections in Ohio have been decided by a single vote or tied.
“I regularly remind voters that every Election Day, we find more examples where just one vote could have made a difference, which is why it is important that every eligible voter take the opportunity to know what will be on their ballot and participate in the process,” Husted said.
One local utility issue in the Holmes County village of Killbuck passed by a single vote.
The Marlboro Township Tax Levy in Delaware County and an Akron liquor store option were tied, Husted said. A tie vote in an issues race means the issue is defeated because issues and ballot questions require a majority vote in order to pass, he said.
If a race between candidates is tied, the matter is settled by an agreed-upon drawing of lots, like a coin toss or by the candidates drawing straws, spokesman Joshua Eck said.