Record number of ballots

Lake County officials say more votes cast than any other Election Day

Lake County Elections Board officials said the county saw a record number of ballots cast in the Nov. 3 general election.

The board certified the official results Nov. 18. There were 131,603 ballots cast and voter turnout eclipsed 80 percent (80.28).

Lake County saw more people vote early than on election day. There were 52,034 people who cast absentee paper ballots (which includes mail-in ballots and military and overseas ballots) and 31,308 people who voted early in-person. There were 45,788 people who voted in-person at the polls on election day. The board’s Nov. 18 certification also included 54 election day paper ballots and 2,419 provisional ballots.

No races triggered an automatic recount. Elections officials were monitoring a close race for the Ohio 60th District State Representative seat, but the race did not fall within the 0.5 percent range that triggers an automatic recount. Willowick Democrat Daniel P. Troy defeated Willoughby Republican George M. Phillips 28,421 votes (50.71 percent) to 27,623 (49.29 percent), according to the official final results.

Troy’s was the lone victory for a Democrat in a contested race in Lake County. Troy will replace term-limited Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat John Rogers in January

his will be his second time in the state house. He previously served as a state representative from 1983 to 1996. He also served

as a Lake County Commissioner for 20 years.

“I’m excited to serve and go down there to address the challenges facing the state,” Troy said.

Communities within the 60th District are Eastlake, Fairport Harbor, Grand River, Lakeline, Mentor Ward 4, Mentor-on-theLake, Painesville, Painesville Township Precinct J and part of Precinct D, Timberlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willowick.

In the presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 56.03 percent of the vote in Lake County, according to the election board’s official final results.

He received 54.83 percent of the vote i n the county in 2016.

Democrat Joe Biden received 42.45 percent of the vote in Lake County. Hillary Clinton received 39.59 percent in 2016.

The votes for third-party presidential candidates in 2020 were down in Lake County compared to 2016. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen was the highest third-party vote getter in Lake County, receiving .98 percent of the vote in this year’s election. The 2016 Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson had the most third-party votes that year, receiving 3.27 percent of the vote.

Votes for presidential write-in candidates were also down compared to four years ago.

Write-in candidates received .23 percent of the vote in Lake County this year compared to 1.06 percent in 2016.

Lake County’s 80.28 percent turnout was the highest this century. The county saw a 76.2 percent turnout in 2016; 77.6 in 2012; 76.44 percent in 2008; 76.69 in 2004; and 67. 6 in 2000.