The results of the Ward 12 election, easily the most nail-biting amongst City Council candidacies, will be confirmed by mid-December after a recount, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections members said in a meeting Tuesday morning.
But it certified the results this morning, which showed Tanmay Shah winning by nine votes after final mail-in ballots and provisional votes were counted after Election Day, where Shah led by seven votes.
On Dec. 1, the BOE is to begin a recount for five elections—for the Bedford City Schools board; North Randall Village Council; North Royalton Council; Orange City Schools board and Cleveland Ward 12—followed by a required audit of each re-triggered tally.
“We’ll start with Ward 12, Cleveland Ward 12, because that’s what everyone’s interested in,” Ballot Department Manager Brian Cleary told the board.
Board members agreed on the recount and audit schedule, will both aiming to wrap up by Dec. 9, BOE Deputy Director Anthony Perlatti said during Tuesday’s meeting.
If the process “goes as we hope” it will, he said, all five recounted elections would be finalized the day after, on Dec. 10. And by the following BOE meeting mid-December.
If Shah’s win is certified in the recount, he’ll be the only City Council candidate to defeat an incumbent in this year’s race. And he’ll be the youngest, at 29, and the only outspokenly democratic socialist sitting in Council Chamber. And the only one of South Asian descent.
Modern recounts rarely change the outcome, one BOE official told Scene.
“I’ll tell you, in the 20 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never seen one race flip after a recount,” they said.