Ohio provisional ballots trended Democratic
President Barack Obama won Ohio by a
slightly higher margin than initially reported after provisional and later
arriving absentee ballots were included in the official count for Ohio.
Unofficial results available the night of the election had
Obama winning Ohio by two percentage points and it was enough for the state to
be put in the win column for the president who was on his way to an Electoral
College victory.
It’s not as important now, but it’s interesting to note
that the official results certified Thursday by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted
show that Obama beat Republican nominee Mitt Romney by three percentage
points.
Obama defeated Romney 2,827,621 to 2,661,407 or 50.67
percent to 47.69 percent, official results show.
In this case, and in the grand scheme of things, one
percentage point really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s over, nothing has
changed.
The addition of provisional and later arriving absentee
ballots for the Nov. 6 election favored the Democratic presidential ticket.
Because the race was fairly close the provisional ballots
could have played a much larger role had the election in Ohio been just a
little bit closer.
What if Romney had been slightly ahead in Ohio on election
night and then the state’s electoral votes came down to waiting for the
addition of the provisional and absentee ballots?
Obviously that wasn’t the case, and Obama went on to
secure the necessary 270 Electoral College votes even without Ohio.
I was surprised that Ohio was called in Obama’s win column
on election night so quickly — a little after 11 p.m.
This wouldn’t be a remake of the 2000 presidential
election when terms like hanging chads were in vogue as the nation waited to
see how the vote in Florida would be concluded.
In Lake County, the addition of provisional and later
arriving absentee ballots also favored leaned toward the Democratic
presidential ticket as 2,461 votes were added to Obama’s official total and
1,594 votes to Romney’s. Official figures show that Romney won the county
58,744 to 57,680 or 49.50 percent to 48.61 percent.
The pattern also holds true in Lake County for the U.S.
Senate race between Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Republican Josh Mandel,
who is Ohio’s treasurer.
Brown officially won Lake County 54,981 to 52,795 or 48.27
percent to 46.35 percent.
When the provisional and later arriving absentee ballots
were added in, Brown gained 2,085 votes and Mandel gained 1,460 votes, when
added to unofficial results.
Ryan candidacy?
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, has been
mentioned by some as a possible Democratic candidate for Ohio governor in 2014
as he comes from a strong base in the Youngstown area.
Others typically included in that conversation as possible
candidates are former Gov. Ted Strickland and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed
FitzGerald.
Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, has recently indicated that
he intends to seek re-election.
Ryan’s chances at a possible nomination probably weren’t
helped this week when it was revealed that he was arrested by Lexington, Va.
police in August for a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, according to
the Youngstown Vindicator. A Virginia judge recently dismissed the charge.
Ryan called the charge “garbage” and said that he wasn’t
intoxicated, but had been walking strangely because he had thrown out his back,
the newspaper reported.
The Ohio Republican Party pounced on the news and called
on Ryan “to provide a credible explanation about his 2 a.m. arrest.”
Swearing in
Geauga County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge Tim Grendell,
11th District Court of Appeals Judge Diane Grendell, and Geauga
Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Geauga
County Probate Juvenile Courtroom A. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer
will officiate.
Deadline reminder
The weekly deadline for information to appear in this
column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.
John Arthur Hutchison
Twitter: @newsheraldjah
Labels: 2012 election, Barack Obama, Ed FitzGerald, John Kasich, Jon Husted, Josh Mandel, Mitt Romney, Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan
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