Ohio Secretary Of State Jon Husted Denies Rumors Of Voter Fraud In Special House Race Between Danny O’Connor & Troy Balderson

Ohio’s elections chief issued a statement this week in an effort to shut down rumors about last week’s special congressional election between Republican Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor.

After polls closed on Aug. 7, Balderson held a slim, 1754-vote lead in the 12th District race. An audit one day later showed O’Connor trailing by just 1,564 votes.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted clarified in a statement that three rumors about the election are untrue: that there was significant voter fraud, that the race had been tampered with and that not all eligible ballots will be counted.

Ohio Special Election News

“I am confident that county boards will approach the official canvass and certification of results with the same level of professionalism that they did on Election Day,” Husted wrote in the statement. “I am also confident that the final vote count will be accurate and reflect the will of the voters.”

Husted’s office added that the final results of the race will be officially released by Aug. 24. Around 8,400 absentee and provisional ballots had yet to be counted as of last week.

Balderson received support from President Donald Trump one day before the election and attacked Ohio Gov. Jon Kasich for “tamping down enthusiasm” for his fellow Republican, whom the president claimed had won. The state’s Columbus-area 12th District is a heavily conservative one.