From the Columbus Dispatch:
Election can wait till after football
County puts off final tally until after OSU-Michigan meeting
Friday, November 10, 2006
Robert Vitale and James Nash
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The outcome of one of the nation's tightest congressional races will wait until after one of its hottest college football games is played, Franklin County elections officials said yesterday.
Elections workers will delay their final, official tally of Tuesday's ballots -- a total that could add more than 38,000 votes to unofficial results in some races -- until Nov. 19, the day after state law lets them begin counting provisional ballots.
They said they don't plan to open for business on Nov. 18, a Saturday, when Ohio State plays Michigan at Ohio Stadium. But they'll issue final election results by Nov. 21, a week before the state requires them.
They could count nearly 18,000 absentee ballots now, but they said they'll wait to avoid more unofficial numbers.
"Our goal is to accommodate our employees' plans for both the OSU football game and Thanksgiving," said Franklin County Board of Elections Director Matthew Damschroder.
http://www.dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/11/10/20061110-A1-00.html