WARREN - The Trumbull County Board of Elections Friday rejected 50 absentee ballots and 478 more provisional ballots voted in the Nov. 6 election.
Among the 50 turned-away absentee ballots, 19 were received at the board too late to be counted; nine did not contain the voter's identity on the envelope; eight were returned undeliverable mail; three voters did not include the identification envelope; and one each for no address, no ballot and one signature did not match what's on file with the board.
Another four were rejected because the voter was not registered, including three people overseas who photocopied a relative's ballot, voted and sent it back. Those ballots are being turned over the county prosecutor's office for more review.
Two hundred eighty-one provisional ballots were rejected because the person was not registered to vote anywhere in Ohio; 152 because of wrong precincts; 38 did not contain a name or signature; and seven voted twice. The board is going to review the double votes before involving the prosecutor's office.
Those 281 people not registered should be for the next election, however. The provisional ballot envelope contains a voter registration form and those who didn't complete for it, a registration application was sent to them, board Director Kelly Pallante said.
Ninety-four provisional ballots will be remade.
Provisional ballots are issued to people who don't have the correct identification, move and don't update their address or don't appear in the poll book. The ballots are held for 10 days to allow for the voter's eligibility to be identified.