I don’t normally write about state politics in Ohio, but I couldn’t pass up this one. My good Hillsdale College buddy Brant Luther – former Stark County auditor, Alliance city councilman, and current attorney-at-law – is on pins and needles awaiting the final results of his May 2 Republican primary election for State Representative in Ohio’s 61st District.
In a rollercoaster of a vote count, Brant’s opponent Randy Pope had a 25-vote lead going into the apparent last precinct on election night. Brant won that precinct by 35 votes to give him a lead of 10. When officials later realized they forgot to count a precinct, Pope edged ahead by 1. Then a second realization was made that a precinct had accidentally been double-counted, giving Brant back his 10-vote advantage.
The latest news from today’s Youngstown Vindicator is that 2 of 4 county’s provisional ballots have been tallied, stretching my friend’s lead to 14. With 41 votes left to be certified in the other 2 counties on Monday or Tuesday, it looks like it’s going to go right down to the wire.
Brant’s comment: “I feel a lot better adding the four votes.” But what else could you say at this point?
Out of nearly 8,000 votes cast, a tenuous margin of 14. Every vote certainly does count. And in this case, it looks like an automatic recount is coming, too. Hang in there, Brant!
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