Ohio county reports more votes than ballots cast after mock election error

Wyandot County election officials are correcting results from Ohio’s Nov. 3 general election after discovering that votes from a mock election were mistakenly included in the county’s unofficial totals.

The Wyandot County Board of Elections acknowledged the error in a Nov. 9 statement, saying results from an Oct. 28 mock election were left in the reporting system for one precinct before Election Day votes were entered.

The mistake inflated vote totals in several races, although election officials said it did not change any outcome.

The county’s unofficial election report recorded 8,739 ballots cast across 23 precincts. However, the same report listed 9,855 votes in the governor’s race and 9,988 in the U.S. Senate race.

Those figures exceeded the reported number of ballots cast by 1,116 and 1,249 votes, respectively.

The report also listed 9,810 votes in the secretary of state’s race and 9,854 in the 5th Congressional District race, both exceeding the county’s reported ballot total.

According to the board, the inflated totals resulted from an Oct. 28 mock election conducted as part of routine testing before Election Day. The county holds mock elections weekly during the month leading up to an election.

“While this mistake is extremely unfortunate, the safeguards built into Ohio’s election process are designed to catch and correct errors before results become official,” Wyandot County Board of Elections Director Darcy Zimmerman said in the statement.

Zimmerman said the board immediately notified the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office after discovering the discrepancy and is strengthening its reporting procedures to prevent similar mistakes.

Several local contests were decided by narrow margins, including two tax levies.

According to the unofficial results, a Ridgedale Local School District levy failed by 14 votes, Cleveland.com reported. A Jackson Township levy renewal passed by 45 votes, according to the report.

The board maintained that the reporting error did not alter either outcome or any other election result.

Republicans carried Wyandot County in several statewide races, including the contests for governor and U.S. Senate, according to the unofficial report.

The county’s official canvass is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, at 8:30 a.m. During the canvass, election officials will review and verify vote totals before the results are certified.

“This is precisely why Election Night results are considered unofficial,” the board said in its statement, pointing to Ohio’s bipartisan canvassing process as a safeguard against reporting errors.