Ohio Secretary of State: No Reports of Voting Irregularities in Ohio

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said Tuesday night that her office has received no reports of voting irregularities or fraud on Election Day.

“We have received no reports of election irregularities in Ohio today — and we have been on the lookout for any hint of illegal voting or voter suppression.

The Ohio Republican Party had raised concerns over voter registration and voting procedures in lawsuits against Brunner beginning in early September. Ohio Republicans re-filed a lawsuit on Election Day alleging Brunner had issued “vague and confusing instructions” to election officials on handling provisional ballots, according to the Dayton Daily News. Previously, the Ohio GOP had sought to force Brunner to turn over information that would have made it easier to challenge new voters registered in Ohio this year.

Edward Foley, an election law specialist and Ohio State University law professor, told the New York Times he expects Republicans to use the lawsuit to challenge Ohio’s presidential results if returns are close. Foley called the lawsuit a Republican placeholder used to challenge the final results in Ohio if the outcome is close.

Major news outlets have called Ohio for Obama. The Illinois Democrat leads John McCain there 52 percent to 47 percent with 48 percent of precincts reporting.

–Lauren Vernon