Deceased Ohioans' absentee ballots still count, state election chief says

CLEVELAND - Ohio's elections chief has determined that an absentee ballot cast by a voter who then dies before the election will still be tallied.

The confirmation by Secretary of State Jon Husted lends clarity to a situation in which some county boards of election differ on how those ballots should be treated.

A Husted spokesman tells The Plain Dealer for a story Monday that the fact Ohio law is silent on the question means election officials should count such ballots.

Spokesman Matt McClellan tells the paper that a deceased person's absentee vote would still count in that situation.

The newspaper found that Medina County's elections director believed the ballot should be invalidated, while Lorain's elections chief said the vote should count.