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To achieve this, it cost Lake County taxpayers more money for additional poll workers. The Lake County Board of Elections spent about $150,000 on poll workers, including election marshals. Lake County typically spends about $102,000 for poll workers during a general election.
The Lake County Elections Board certified the Nov. 2 election Sunday afternoon. The only race that wasn't certified was Lakeline Village's 4-mill additional levy, which faces an automatic recount. The vote of 61 to 60 in favor of the levy will be decided by 10 absentee ballots, Lake County Elections Director Jan F. Clair said.
The race between state Rep.-elect Tim Cassell, D-Madison Township, and his Republican opponent, B.J. Kresnye of Mentor, is past the margin for an automatic recount. Official results show Cassell received 26,194 votes, or 50.45 percent, to Kresnye's 25,266 votes, or 49.55 percent.
Clair said the candidates needed to be separated by 295 votes or fewer to face an automatic recount. Cassell, who attended Sunday's meeting, has a 470-vote lead.
"Everyone is to be commended. Ten percent rejected on the provisional ballots is awesome," Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dale Fellows said.
"It's very satisfying," Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Thomas A. Tagliamonte said. "We had to spend some extra money, and it seemed to pay off."
Before certifying the election, the elections board was required to approve final numbers on rejected ballots.
Of the 16,323 absentee ballots cast countywide, 297, or 2 percent, were rejected.
Of the 2,014 provisional ballots counted Friday, 201, or 10 percent, were rejected.
Also, of the 550 electronic voting machines, Clair told board members the county had a less than 1 percent undervote. This occurs when voters don't follow instructions for casting a machine ballot, and the vote is not counted.
Clair said Lake County was the first to report results to the Ohio Secretary of State's office on election night.
Clair also informed the four-member board that she will return a check to Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and his counterpart with the Libertarian Party, Michael Badnarik.
They sent money to Lake County to pay for an automatic recount of presidential election ballots in the county.
Their $10 a precinct falls far short of the full cost, Clair said. Additionally, the two third parties can't seek an automatic recount until the state certifies the election.
She also said some prosecutors should challenge this because it could be considered frivolous.
An additional obstacle would be getting the recount completed before the state's electoral college meets Dec. 13, Clair said. The Lake County recount would take two days, Clair said.
Meanwhile, if Lakeline's five-year, 4-mill additional levy is passed after the automatic recount, it would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $122.50 a year. It would yield $19,718 annually.
Also, the Dec. 14 special election on the recall of Eastlake Councilwoman Lynn Moon Curtis will be by punch-card ballots, with six poll workers at each location in Ward 1, she said.
Clair also said language is specific on the ballot to show that a "yes" vote allows Curtis to remain a councilwoman, while a "no" vote removes her from office.
