However, there were still 4,795 absentee ballots that were requested but had not yet been returned, plus 3,403 provisional ballots that may be counted, Montgomery County Board of Elections Deputy Director Sarah Greathouse said. Those have the potential to impact who wins the race.
“The question is always can they break, is there enough to break in the direction that anyone wants them to and that is absolutely always a possibility,” Greathouse said.
Absentee ballots must have been postmarked by Monday at midnight and must make it to the board of elections office within 10 days for them to be counted.
There are several reasons why someone might vote provisional, Greathouse said, including a name change, a change in address or they forgot their ID. The provisional ballots must be checked to make sure the voter cast a countable ballot. The information gathered on those ballots will be presented to the elections board on Nov. 19, when they will decide whether to count them or not.
A report will then be run on Nov. 29 which will have the final tabulation.
“There is a great desire from the public and the media for everything to be known on Election Night. But the way the system was built ... we have a very deliberative process,” Greathouse said.
People can check their provisional ballot status on the Montgomery County Board of Elections website.
Wortham, a former Dayton Police officer who now works as a security equity investor and trader, thanked his supporters in a Tuesday night statement to the Dayton Daily News and said he looked forward to serving the county.
He did not respond to questions Wednesday about keys to the success of his campaign, or the possibility of the uncounted ballots swaying the election.
Wortham said leading up to the election that he decided to run for office because he wanted to change the status quo. If elected, he said his priorities would be to eliminate bureaucratic red tape, improve business development and make the county government more effective.
Rice, who has served on the commission since 2019 and was Montgomery County Treasurer before that, said she was waiting until the absentee and provisional ballots were counted before making comment.
She said leading up to the election she ran again because she loves public service and the way Montgomery County Commissioners get to help thousands of people’s lives every day.
Montgomery County Commissioners are responsible for managing a $937 million budget and have appropriating authority of numerous agencies and county offices. There are more than a half-million residents in Montgomery County.
Auditor’s race
While there are still votes to be counted, the longtime Montgomery County Auditor appears to be on his way to securing another term.
Democrat Karl Keith holds a 52.8% to 47.2% lead over Republican Karl George Kordalis. Keith feels he has a comfortable lead and will win reelection.
“I’m just very excited and pleased. I am humbled and honored that the voters of Montgomery County re-elected me to another term of auditor and I’m looking forward to serving them to the very best of my ability as I have for the past 20-something years,” Keith said.
The Montgomery County Auditor is the county’s chief fiscal officer, assessor and is responsible for paying the county’s bills, distributing taxes collected by the county treasurer and preparing annual financial statements.
Voters appreciate his office’s efforts to be as transparent as possible, Keith said, and that they work to always improve their services. He said his institutional knowledge has been a major asset, especially since his office has been forced to adapt to many legal and technological changes over the years.
Kordalis, a real estate agent who owns his own legal practice, said leading up to the election that property valuations in the county are inflated and planned to make changes if elected.
Voters send two new judges to the bench, keep one
Judge candidates Angelina Jackson, Kim Melnick and Julie Bruns have won their races for spots on the bench in Montgomery County, according to the Board of Elections.
Jackson was challenging Bob Hanseman for his seat on the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor Tony Schoen was challenging Melnick for her seat. Bruns, a Montgomery County Juvenile Court magistrate, was facing local attorney Steve Abshire.
According to final, unofficial results from the Montgomery County Board of Elections, Jackson won her race 54% to 45%, Melnick won 52% to 47% and Bruns won 57% to 42%.
Bruns told the Dayton Daily News that she will be honored to serve.
“I like to thank everybody for their support and for casting their vote for me,” she said, adding that she looks forward to serving the community and working with area youth.
Bruns will replace Montgomery County Juvenile Judge Anthony Capizzi, who is retiring.
Meanwhile, Jackson is currently the lead of the appellate division in the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office and said before the election that her experience as a public defender has given her a unique perspective that other judges don’t have.
She believes her work as a public defender has given her experience to know when someone should be incarcerated and when someone can benefit from help.
Melnick was appointed to the bench by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine earlier this year. She said she decided to run because she feared the court is too lenient.
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