Medina County election results certified; no races affected

MEDINA — The official election results from the 2022 general election show that no races were flipped from what appeared in the unofficial election results. The results were certified by members of the Medina County Board of Elections during its board meeting Tuesday. The official election results are different from the unofficial results because it includes additional absentee and provisional ballots that were previously accepted by the board. For the November election, Medina County had a voter turnout rate of about 60 percent, with 79,440 ballots cast. In comparison, the May primary election had about 25 percent voter turnout. A few issues continued to be close races in the official results. Issue 3, the bond issue for Brunswick City School District, failed by more than 850 votes. Meanwhile, Cloverleaf Local Schools levy Issue 2 passed by slightly more than 300 votes. The village of Spencer had the closest race for its tax levy with 106 ballots cast for the parks and recreation levy and 102 ballots cast against it. The board randomly selected which polling locations would be part of the audit. At least 5 percent of the ballots cast had to be part of the audit, which is nearly 4,000 ballots for the 2022 general election. The polling locations selected were the Westfield Center Municipal Building, Towslee Elementary School and Sharon Town Hall. The audited races will be for governor, U.S. senator and Medina County commissioner. On Dec. 8 at 9 a.m., the audit will begin to ensure accuracy. Also, during the meeting, Medina County Board of Elections Director Carol Lawler presented her official letter to the board to inform it of her plans to retire in 2023. She said she has been working on a revised job description for the position in the meantime. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.