Finally, Some Movement In OH-15
We may finally be nearing an end to the saga that is the Columbus, OH-based OH-15th House race. Today, the OH Supreme Court ruled that 1K disputed ballots will not be counted, siding with supporters of state Sen. Steve Stivers' (R), who brought the lawsuit.
Several weeks ago, Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D) ordered Franklin Co. to count the disputed provisional ballots, even though they contained flaws, such as the lack of a signature. But supporters of Stivers disputed Brunner's order and took the case to court, arguing that Franklin Co. should disallow the ballots. Today, the OH court -- dominated by GOP-appointed judges -- agreed with Stivers' supporters.
Barred from counting its outstanding ballots until this ruling came down, Franklin Co. is the only jurisdiction in the CD not to report its final tally. Currently, Stivers holds a 594-vote lead over '06 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy (D), but Kilroy's camp is expecting to pick up many votes through the 37K uncounted provisional, late absentee and military ballots that have yet to be counted. In votes already tallied in the county, Kilroy leads Stivers, 48-43%.
Officials expect it to take two to three days to count the remaining ballots. But if neither candidate is ahead by more than .5%, there would be a mandatory recount of ballots. That process "could take another two weeks," according to the Columbus Dispatch.
(TIM SAHD)
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