Fulton County official vote does not alter the outcomes

11/23/2005

WAUSEON - The Fulton County Board of Elections' official results issued yesterday from the Nov. 8 ballot changed no outcomes from election night, but the county's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities levy request, while still passing, remains so close that an automatic recount will be done Monday.

The request for an additional 2-mill continuing levy passed by 55 votes: 6,153 to 6,098. The cutoff for an automatic recount in this case is 61 or fewer votes, Gloria Marlatt, the elections director, said.

Before provisional ballots were counted yesterday, the disabilities levy was passing by 62 votes: 6,093 to 6,031.

Disabilities Superintendent Brenda Oyer said when the official count was released that she predicted the margin would narrow by five votes when all ballots were counted. She was very close: The margin narrowed by seven votes.

The levy passed in eight of the county's 35 precincts, tied in one, and failed in the other 26. But most of the precincts where it passed - all in the southwest corner of the county - approved it overwhelmingly.

Archbold Precinct 3 was the biggest supporter, approving the levy 327 to 104.

"If it weren't for Archbold, we'd be in a world of hurt," Ms. Oyer said the day after the election. She is from the Archbold area.

The other Archbold precincts passed the issue as well as German Township which surrounds the village, Pettisville immediately to the east, Franklin Township to the north, and parts of Wauseon.

Among the biggest opponents was Swancreek Township, which borders Lucas County in the southeast corner of Fulton County. In one of its four precincts, Swancreek East 2, the levy failed 244 to 404.

The tie was in Metamora with 79 votes on both sides.

The other election that could have changed with the addition of the provisional ballots was the Swancreek Township trustee race. But instead, the results from election night widened.

At issue was whether Ronald Holdeman or James Meyer would win the second of two seats up for election. Yesterday's results showed Mr. Holdeman with 1,090 votes to Mr. Meyer's 1,075.

On election night, they were separated by 10 votes, with 1,080 for Mr. Holdeman and 1,070 for Mr. Meyer.

The top vote-getter remains Phil Wiland, with 1,164 by yesterday's official count, and Richard Stout was out with 643.