Precinct-by-precinct reports show how Lorain County elected its officials on Nov. 5

Lorain County voters turned out in droves for the 2024 general election in both early voting and at the polls Tuesday. Out of 221,647 registered voters in Lorain County, there were 158,332 ballots cast. That's a 71.46 percent turnout. Republicans took a significant number of offices from Democratic hands, including prosecutor and sheriff, and won a seat on the Common Pleas bench. Still left to be counted are 2,672 provisional ballots and 2,422 outstanding absentee ballots. The Lorain County Board of Elections will meet Nov. 19 to certify the results of Tuesday's election, Director Paul Adams said. The Chronicle-Telegram looked at returns in four significant races on the ballot — two seats on the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, the county Prosecutor's Office, and the county Sheriff's Office. All four races were won by the Republican candidate, only one of whom was an incumbent. Commissioners races A precinct-by-precinct canvass report compiled by the Board of Elections showed where Democrats and Republicans took sides on the two commissioners' races on the ballot. Voters reelected Republican county Commissioner David Moore and elected Marty Gallagher, also a Republican, to the board. Gallagher defeated Lorain City Councilman Tony Dimacchia, D-at Large, in a fight to replace Republican Commissioner Michelle Hung, and Moore defeated Democrat Brian Baker, a longtime union official. Gallagher and Moore won Amherst just barely, took Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville. Gallagher squeaked out a 138-vote win over Dimacchia in Sheffield Lake. The separation between Moore and Baker in that city was only 44 votes out of nearly 3,900 votes cast, but resulted in a Moore victory. Vermilion went to Gallagher and Moore, as did South Amherst and Amherst Township. Gallagher: Brighton, Brownhelm, Camden Township/Kipton village, Carlisle, Columbia, Eaton, Elyria, Grafton, Henrietta, Huntington, LaGrange, New Russia, Penfield, Pittsfield, Rochester Township/village, and Wellington townships all went for Gallagher, as did the villages of Grafton, Kipton, LaGrange, Sheffield, and Wellington. On his home turf, Dimacchia beat Gallagher in Lorain by more than 4,200 votes. In Elyria, Dimacchia prevailed by just over 1,500 votes, and he defeated Gallagher by more than seven-to-one in Oberlin, where Dimacchia got 3,855 votes to only 503 for Gallagher. Dimacchia also just barely won Sheffield Township, but lost every other township and village. Moore likewise took the township and villages from Baker, who did not even win his home township of Brownhelm as Moore beat him there by 250 votes, 694 to 444. Baker took Lorain from Moore by nearly 4,300 votes and also Elyria, by more than 2,200 votes. Similarly, he won Oberlin 3,883 votes to only 495 for Moore. Prosecutor's race Voters went with Tony Cillo, a veteran prosecutor and Republican, over incumbent Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson, a Democrat. Cillo won his homebase, Avon Lake, and also won the vote in Amherst, where Tomlinson lives. Cillo took Avon. Elyria was his by nearly 1,000 votes. North Ridgeville voters gave Cillo 3,000 more votes than they gave Tomlinson. Sheffield Lake and Vermilion went for Cillo. So did every village and township in Lorain County, by a two-to-one margin for Cillo over Tomlinson. Tomlinson edged out Cillo by 1,600 votes in Lorain, and defeated him 3,483 votes to 773 in the liberal bastion of Oberlin. Sheriff's race To replace Sheriff Phil Stammitti, a Democrat who decided not to run for reelection, voters picked Jack Hall over Democrat Rich Resendez. The townships and villages throughout Lorain County carried Hall to victory against Resendez. Hall garnered 23,047 votes in the townships and villages compared to Resendez' 14,709. Hall also held majority votes in Avon, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville and part of Vermilion. Resendez carried Amherst, Elyria, Lorain, Sheffield Lake and Oberlin. His victory in Sheffield Lake was thin, with less than 20 votes separating the two candidates, while he held a less than 500 vote majority in Amherst, according to complete but unofficial numbers. Judicial and other races Voters also elected attorney Giovanna Scaletta-Bremke as Common Pleas Judge over Dan Petticord, chief assistant prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Civil Division, in a race to replace age-limited Judge James Miraldi. County Recorder Mike Doran defeated Democratic challenger Dawn Walther. Voters elected Kellie Deeter as state representative over Democrat Brenda Buchanan to replace state Rep. Dick Stein, a Norwalk Republican who was term-limited out of office. They also reelected state Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, over Democratic challenger Genevieve Flieger. County Coroner Dr. Frank Miller, a Republican, was unopposed Tuesday. Democrats held four judicial seats and elected a newcomer: Donna Freeman, a Juvenile Court magistrate, was elected to the Common Pleas bench over attorney Richard Ramsey as a replacement for Judge John Miraldi, who did not seek reelection. Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court Judge Frank Janik defeated challenger Anthony Hurst to keep his seat, while Common Pleas Judges Chris Cook and Raymond Ewers were unopposed, as was Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court Judge Lisa Swenski. Incumbent county Clerk of Courts Tom Orlando, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Maurice Corbin III, while incumbent county Treasurer Dan Talarek defeated Republican challenger John Prajzner. Incumbent state Rep. Joe Miller, D-Amherst, defeated Republican challenger Brad Lacko. Party leaders react Lorain County Republican Party Chairman Bob Meilander expressed gratitude to all the party's candidates who ran in 2024. "Your dedication to our shared values of Liberty, personal responsibility and opportunity has made a real difference, and we are proud to stand with you," Meilander wrote in a statement to The Chronicle-Telegram. "These men and women have earned your trust, and I am confident that they will work tirelessly to ensure that our county continues to thrive. The next four years will be filled with exciting accomplishments, and we have no doubt that our newly elected officials will deliver on the promises they've made to serve you," he wrote, promising "progress, unity and success." On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump became only the second president in history to win two non-consecutive terms. The other was Grover Cleveland, who was both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. A New York businessman who inherited much of his initial wealth from his father then built his real estate empire and name recognition from there, Trump also is the first convicted felon to be elected president. In May, he became the first former president to be so convicted when he was found guilty of 34 felonies in a New York court in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actress. He is awaiting sentencing. Meilander wrote that Trump's election was "no small achievement, and it has had a profound impact on the entire Republican party. The president's victory has paved the way for so many other wins, not only nationally but also right here in Lorain County." Lorain County Democratic Party Sharon Sweda was critical of Tuesday's outcome but promised the party was looking to the future. "Democrats lost this election and even the voters of Lorain County chose four more years of Republican control despite higher property taxes and clouds of corruption," wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. "It is the job of the Lorain County Democratic Party to educate the public about how taxpayers foot the bill for their lawsuits, consultants and executive positions for inexperienced cronies," she wrote. "We fell short on this task, but tomorrow we start anew with the goal of electing candidates who will lower the cost of living, protecting the most vulnerable, and supporting working families," Sweda wrote. Carissa Woytach contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.