Warren delay raises eyebrows

Jessica Brown reports:

The way Warren County is handling some of its absentee ballots is not unheard of, but is raising some eyebrows.

The county board of elections is waiting until Nov. 21 to count 2,000 to 3,000 absentee ballots.

Board Director Susan Johnson said it is standard procedure to hold off on counting the ballots because they were voted Friday or Saturday or were received at the board office by mail Monday or Tuesday. Ballots received that close to Election Day typically aren’t counted right away because there is no way to verify that the voters didn’t also vote at the polls, she said.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office said today that the procedure is not unheard of.

“I’ve heard of other boards doing what you’re describing and I’d have to check with our legal council to find out if that is in compliance with state regulations,” said spokesman James Lee. “It very well may be.”

But elections lawyer Cliff Arnebeck said waiting that long to count those absentee votes could be trouble.

“I don’t think that is reasonable,” he said. “Our concern is if you create that kind of delay you’re inviting potential manipulation. In absentee ballots, those are supposed to be counted the same time (as regular ballots.) A day would be reasonable to count the rest of them. But the idea of counting them on the same scale as provisional ballots is problematic.”

Provisional ballots – in which the person’s vote is questionable because of issues like arriving at the wrong polling place – do not have to be counted until Nov. 21.

Johnson said the county also received 1,850 provisional ballots.

The delay leaves several issues with margins fewer than 3,000 votes in limbo, including the Kings school levy which failed by 284 votes.