Ohio Elections Chief Certifies Results of 2020 General Election in Favor of Trump
Ohio’s Secretary of State Frank LaRose certified the results of the 2020 general election on Friday, delivering the state’s 18 electoral votes to President Donald Trump, who beat Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by about 8 percentage points.
LaRose, a Republican, said in an announcement that nearly 6 million people voted in the state this year—or 5,974,121 ballots cast in total—hailing it as “a new record.”
The state’s final certified results gives 3,154,834 votes (53.2 percent) for Trump and 2,679,165 (45.2 percent) for Biden.
The overall voter turnout was a “record” 74 percent, LaRose said.
“The election we certified today has taken Ohio to a new level of civic participation,” he announced on Twitter. “Whether your candidate won or lost, our state has taken a giant leap forward—making this the most secure and accessible election in state history.”
Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed off on the certificate of ascertainment soon afterward, reported The Associated Press.
The state reported that the rate of rejection of absentee mail-in ballots was slashed in half in the November 2020 election compared to previous elections, due to “reforms put in place by Secretary LaRose and the efforts of county boards of elections.”
“Reasons for the significant improvement include the policy decision to require county boards to quickly contact voters who may need to correct information on their ballot by using the voter’s e-mail address or phone number, in addition to the lawfully required mail notice. Additionally, major improvements to the design of the forms made them easier to correctly fill out and return,” the announcement from LaRose’s office said.