Lorain County receives clean audit for November 2021 general election

An audit of three countywide issues on the November 2021 ballot revealed a 100 percent accuracy rate in counting, according to numbers released by the Ohio Secretary of State's Office on Wednesday. Audited were: Issue 1, a 0.3-mill, five-year levy to benefit the Lorain County Crime/Drug Lab and the county Coroner's Office. That issue failed with 20,449 votes for it versus 22,043 against it, according to complete and official results from the Lorain County Board of Elections. Issue 2, a 0.06-mill, five-year levy for tuberculosis care and treatment in Lorain County. It passed with 24,436 votes for versus 18,006 votes against, according to complete and official election results.The state mandates that counties collect funds and coordinate treatment for those with tuberculosis, or TB. Issue 4, a proposed additional 3 percent hotel bed tax on visitors staying in Lorain County hotels. That issue failed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, with 27,716 votes against it versus 14,147 votes for it, according to complete and official election results. County commissioners said the tax would be used to raise $700,000 to create an 11-member board to start planning a convention center in Lorain County to attract business and tourism. Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office announced a 100 percent accuracy rate in the counted ballots as a result of the audit. A total of 43,661 ballots were cast by Lorain County voters Nov. 2. That's a 20.15 percent turnout among the county's 216,676 registered voters. State law mandates a post-election audit. Board of Elections Director Paul Adams said the board has done post-election audits since 2008. That means not just counting the ballots cast, but also looking at how many people signed each poll book, how many absentee ballots were cast and other investigations. "It's more than just counting the ballots when you're doing an audit," he said Wednesday. LaRose said counties that used a percentage-based audit had a 99.9 percent accuracy rate. "When I took the oath of office, I had a clear mission — to ensure Ohio voters have confidence their voice was heard in honest elections," said LaRose, a Republican first elected in 2018. "The transparency of this process, conducted by election officials from both parties, and the accuracy of the audit results should reinforce every voter's belief that their vote mattered and was counted accurately. Ohioans can be proud that our state runs secure and fair elections." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him at @daveobrienCT on Twitter.