LISBON, Ohio — The tight race for the Columbiana County Municipal Court judgeship has led to a recount due to a razor-thin margin of victory. Danielle Menning’s lead over incumbent Judge Kelly Linger reached 33 votes, prompting the county Board of Elections to initiate an automatic recount of the votes from the May 6 primary election.
The Board of Elections confirmed the results of the election on Thursday, stating that the recount would commence at 9 a.m. Tuesday at their office on Dickey Drive. The automatic recount was triggered because the difference in votes between the candidates fell below half a percentage point, a threshold that would have otherwise excluded them from a recount scenario. Had the margin been greater than 43 votes, no recount would have been necessary.
Initially, Menning had won by just 28 votes on Election night. However, the final certified count, which included late absentee and provisional ballots, increased her lead to 33 votes. The final tallies showed Menning receiving 4,415 votes, or 50.19 percent, compared to Linger’s 4,382 votes, equaling 49.81 percent.
During a recent meeting, Board of Elections Director Kim Fusco outlined the recount procedure, which mandates that a minimum of 5% of the total votes be manually counted. Given that 8,797 votes were cast in the race, this means at least 439 votes must be counted by hand, in teams composed of one Democrat and one Republican. The Board’s staff, evenly split between the two parties, will form teams to carry out this task.
The precincts selected for manual counting were chosen at random in a transparent manner. Both Fusco and Administrative Assistant Niki Wilkinson prepared a list of all 73 precincts, placing them into a jar for selection. Each precinct’s paper fold was inspected by the Board members to ensure accuracy before the selection process commenced.
The precincts designated for manual recount include Butler South, Liverpool Township West, Salem Township-Franklin Square, and Elkrun Township, totaling 593 votes. After the manual recount is completed, the ballots will be scanned using machines for an additional verification of numbers. If the counts from both methods align, the remaining ballots will also be processed through the machines.
The Board plans to reconvene at 4 p.m. on the same day the recount occurs to certify the results. Fusco indicated that the recount is open to public observation, allowing each candidate to appoint official observers. She plans to reach out to the candidates via phone and email to inform them about this opportunity.
In addition to the judge’s race, the Board of Elections also certified results for the Salem At Large Council race. Jim Harrington, Michael Weir, and Trent Tice secured the Republican nominations for the three seats, with Harrington leading at 672 votes.
Another significant ballot item under consideration was the renewal of a tax levy for the Southern Local school district, which received a narrow approval with 363 yes votes and 339 no votes. The totals included minor contributions from neighboring counties.
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