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Ten additional provisional ballots are to be counted in Youngstown 1st Ward race
YOUNGSTOWN
The close Youngstown 1st Ward city council Democratic primary will come down to a count of provisional ballots.
On the night of the May 5 primary, Julius T. Oliver was beating Mike Write by only 9 votes – 276 to 267. Jose A. Rivera, a third candidate in that race, received 78 votes.
Initially, election officials said there were 13 provisional ballots to be counted in the 1st Ward.
But since then, six came in the mail postmarked May 4, the last day to vote by mail, said Thomas McCabe, the board’s deputy director.
Also, four others were found among bags and other items delivered by poll workers to the board.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday to count provisional ballots in this race and others from the May 5 primary.
“I’m still confident I’m going to win,” Oliver said. “Let the people’s votes be heard.”
Write said, “I’m hopeful that things will come out in my favor. I believe [the extra votes] gives me a better chance” to win.
Provisional ballots are used if a voter’s eligibility is in question on the day of an election, 30 days before an election if a voter changed address, or if a person requested an absentee ballot and goes to a polling location.
If the margin of victory is 0.5 percent or less after all votes are counted, the race is subject to an automatic recount.