LaRose says voting was more secure and accessible than ever

COLUMBUS – It’s official. Donald Trump won the Buckeye State.

Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose certified the official results of the 2020 presidential general election on Friday.

LaRose’s signature marks the completion of the official canvass and certifies winners in the 2020 General Election.

Data was collected by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office from the official canvass conducted and submitted by Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections.

The Secretary of State conducted a precinct-by-precinct review of the data prior to certification. A list of all 88 county boards of election is available by clicking here.

LaRose said it was the state’s most accessible and secure election ever.

The nearly 6 million votes cast were 200,344 more votes than the all-time record of 5,773,777 set in the 2008 general election.

The record 74 percent turnout surpasses the average of the presidential general election average from 2000-2020 of 65 percent.

LaRose said, “despite partisan fearmongering,” voting by mail was reliable.

His office said he worked closely with the United States Postal Service to provide for the successful delivery of election mail throughout the election.

While he did not amass the 270 electoral votes nationally to be re-elected, President Donald Trump carried Ohio, 53.3-45.3 percent over former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, winning the states 18 electoral votes.

Biden’s national win marks only the third time in 75 years that a presidential victor has won without carrying Ohio, which has long been considered a bellwether state.

Democrat John F. Kennedy lost the state to Republican Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960, and Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, who successfully won a fourth term, failed to carry it to Republican Thomas Dewey in 1944.

At noon on Dec. 14, the members of Ohio’s Electoral College will gather in the Senate chamber of the Statehouse to cast their electoral votes for president and vice-president. This occasion marks the 55th meeting of the Ohio Electoral College since statehood in 1803.

Counties will continue the post-election audit process, further ensuring Ohioans have faith in the integrity of the electoral process and that every valid vote is counted.