BG school board election headed for a possible recount

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) - Election day has come and gone but the final vote total and the announcement of who will fill three new seats on the Bowling Green city school board is in a holding pattern.

“Certainly, for an off year, it was very strong voter turnout, we were right around 50%,” Wood County Board of Elections Director, Terry Burton said.

Eight candidates ran for the three open seats. At this point, only eleven votes separated Ardy Gonyer and Peggy Thompson, for third place.

“It has been a little nerve-racking the last week or so,” Gonyer said.

Gonyer, who owns a small business in Bowling Green, said this is his first go around with politics. He said he’s been causelessly optimistic.

“Obviously we want to make sure everybody’s vote is counted, and everybody’s voice is heard and so waiting for this provisional ballots first and we’ll see how that shakes out and then the possible recount,” Gonyer said.

Burton said the deadline for county provisional ballots and absentee ballots will be official after Nov. 20.

“If that race then, last position is within one half of one percent, then that will trigger an automatic recount,” Burton said. “The board will schedule it at that time, and we’ll probably do that next week.”

If there is a recount and the rare event that there’s a tie, officials will flip a coin.

“I’ve been doing this 29 years, I remember one, it was a Rossford city council race, and that’s been quite some time ago, but yes, it does happen occasionally,” Burton added.

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