CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County has officially certified the results of the March primary election, but one race still officially remains too close to call.
Issue 21, a $20 million bond issue for Brooklyn City Schools, passed by just eight votes (891-883) after officials added outstanding mail and provisional ballots to the final tally. The percentage margin of 50.23%-49.77% is less than 0.5%, meaning there will be an automatic recount under Ohio law.
If approved, the money generated from Issue 21 would be used to build, add to, renovate, remodel, refurnish, and improve district buildings. It would cost taxpayers an extra $104 annually for every $100,000 of their property values.
State procedures call for a handful (not all) of precincts within the Brooklyn school district to receive hand recounts, with the rest being rescanned electronically. If the results of the hand recount don't match the initial tally in those precincts, than all ballots (more than 1,800) will be reviewed by hand.
The recount will take place this coming Monday at 9:30 a.m. from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in downtown Cleveland. The procedure will be open to observers and the general public.