Voters left a school levy contest in Greater Cincinnati in an unusual state after the polls closed May 6.
They were split in their support for Madison Local School District’s proposed levy on the ballot. The levy received 620 votes in favor and 620 votes against, according to unofficial results from Ohio’s Butler County Board of Elections.
So you might be wondering, how often does this happen? And you’re probably thinking, what happens next?
For an election contest to end in a tie is “very unusual,” said Eric Corbin, deputy director of the Butler County Board of Elections. In Ohio, three local races ended in a tie vote during the November 2024 general election.
The only tie Corbin recalled in recent memory at the Butler County Board of Elections was in 2022 for a political party’s central committee race. Those contests can receive a handful of votes, making a tie more likely.
In those contests, a coin flip is used to break the tie. However, that’s not the case for school issues.
What will happen to the Madison Local School District’s proposed levy?
The potential levy’s funds would be used to avoid an operating deficit for the school district near Middletown, roughly 40 miles north of downtown Cincinnati.
The race may not end up in a tie once the official results are certified. The tallies released the night of May 6 did not include every vote. The Butler County Board of Elections still needs to include eligible provisional ballots and absentee ballots in the vote total.
Voters will likely know if the Madison Local School District’s levy passed or not on May 22, when the election results are certified.
In the rare case levy results are still tied after provisional and absentee ballots are counted, then it is likely the levy will fail.
“We’re not 100% sure right now, we’re still in the process of figuring it out because it’s so rare,” Corbin said.
However, he added, the language on the ballot voters read said a majority affirmative vote is necessary for the levy to pass.
“That’s making us feel that if it’s tied, that’s not a majority by definition,” he said. “So that means the levy would fail in that instance.”
Madison Local School District Superintendent Jeff Staggs refused a request for comment, adding he would give a statement once results are determined.
Ohio saw several close races in 2024
Ohio saw several close races in the November 2024 general election. Three contests ended in a tie vote, three were determined by three votes and three contests came down to a single vote, according to a press release from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office. Two of these close races were regarding school levies.
Although these races occurred during the general election, LaRose emphasized the likelihood of close contests during an off-year election, when voter turnout is often low. “Local elections, which occur in odd-numbered years like 2025, can come down to notoriously slim margins,” he said in the release.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A tie vote? What happens next for this Greater Cincinnati district
Reporting by Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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