COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) held a press briefing at the Ohio State House on Tuesday to discuss the 2020 US Election.
“Way back in March and April we started to roll up our sleeves and figure out how are we going to run a Presidential Election in the midst of a pandemic. Obviously, this is an historic election. One unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” said LaRose.
Ohio boasts 4,000 poll locations and 56,000 poll volunteers and to handle the estimated 6 million voters – which would break a record according to LaRose.
Another record is the number of absentee ballots for which buckeyes applied – 3.4 million.
Ohio has been opening absentee ballots for about four weeks according to Ohio’s top election official, which has allowed boards of election to ensure the ballots were completed correctly and to contact voters if not.
Unlike Ohio, neighboring states Michigan and Pennsylvania – key swing states in the presidential election – “can’t cut open envelopes until election day,” said LaRose.
LaRose stated that the absentee ballots would be counted first election night, followed by the in-person votes. Speculation has asserted that mail-in votes heavily favor Democratic nominee Joe Biden – and that reflected in early voter returns as Biden held a gawdy 12-point lead early (Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2016).
All of Ohio’s 99 state representatives were on the ballot, as they are every two years. Before the results, Republicans held a 61 – 38 advantage over Democrats.
About half of Ohio’s Senate seats are being decided with 16 races where Republicans hold a 24-9 advantage currently.
U.S Congressional races are also on the ballot where Republicans have a 12-4 majority before the final 2020 result.
Ohio is reporting live results here.
However, the results will be “accurate but an incomplete number,” according to Secretary LaRose. Outstanding absentee ballots are listed on the page, which may be able to bring finality. For example: if President Trump is ahead by 600,000 votes in Ohio but there remain 150,000 outstanding mail-in ballots, then the presidential election is decided but the final total to remain.
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Jack Windsor is Managing Editor at both The Ohio Star and The Michigan Star. Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV and The Virginia Star. Follow Jack on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Frank LaRose” by Frank LaRose. Background Photo “Voting Booths” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
LaRose is a fraud…always has been. His office told me that he gave Zuckerberg’s money right back to CTCL…the group Zuckerberg founded. Are Ohio Republicans – who know they’re in trouble – buying “election insurance?”