There may still be votes to count in the Buckeye State, but that doesn’t mean you have to count every day:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — In a state chided by visiting comedian Jon Stewart last week for its football obsession, vote counting is being sidelined during the much-anticipated Ohio State-Michigan game.
The decision by county election officials not to open November 18 — the day of the storied gridiron rivalry — will delay an official result for another closely watched matchup: incumbent GOP Rep. Deborah Pryce vs. Democratic challenger Mary Jo Kilroy.
Pryce leads Kilroy by as many as 3,536 votes, depending on which tallies are used, but Kilroy has yet to concede because of 18,000 uncounted absentee and provisional ballots in Franklin County, where the vast majority of uncounted ballots were cast.
By law, election boards may begin counting such ballots on November 18, but they may also wait until November 22. Franklin County, home to Ohio State, will begin its count November 19.
County Elections Director Matthew Damschroder grudgingly conceded that football factored into the one-day delay but said worker fatigue was a bigger issue.
“We’ve worked every Saturday since probably August,” Damschroder said. “We’re going to give our people a Saturday off.”
Heck, even God will be taking a break on November 18th.
