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Provisional ballots to reveal outcomes in Campbell, Smith
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Van Such
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Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mahoning County Board of Elections is expected Tuesday to count provisional votes that could change the Election Day outcomes of two close races — Campbell mayor and Smith Township trustee.
After the Nov. 8 election, Campbell Mayor William VanSuch had a 20-vote lead over his challenger, 4th Ward Councilman Lew Jackson. VanSuch had 1,448 votes compared with 1,428 for Jackson.
Thirty-four provisional ballots in Campbell will be counted next week said Chris Rakocy, the board’s information-technology manager.
Provisional ballots may be used on Election Day if a voter’s eligibility is in question, such as failing to provide proper identification; or if a voter has changed addresses or name, and did not update his or her voter registration information within 30 days of an election, according to the Ohio secretary of state’s office.
Those without proper identification on Election Day must take proper ID to the board within 10 days after the election for their provisional ballot to be counted.
All election boards in Ohio must check the eligibility of those who vote provisionally before those ballots can be counted. Boards must wait at least 10 days after an election and no later than 15 days to verify and then count provisional ballots, according to the secretary of state.
It’s even closer in Smith Township with Trustee Valas W. Winters holding a two-vote lead over Paul E. Freer, 554 to 552.
There are seven provisional ballots in Smith to be counted, Rakocy said.
After the provisional votes are counted, it still may not end there.
If the margin of victory is 0.5 percent or less after all votes are counted, the race is subject to an automatic recount by the elections board.