Trump wins; county voters OK issues

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A record turnout in Van Wert County provided a nearly 8,000-vote margin for Republican Donald Trump, who has also apparently won the crucial battleground state of Ohio in an excruciatingly close presidential election.

Trump won the county with 10,328 votes to 2,667 for Democrat Hillary Clinton, while independent candidates split the remaining 589 votes. The Republican garnered 76 percent of the local vote, compared to 19.6 percent for Clinton.

U.S. Senator Rob Portman was also the top vote-getter — both in the county and the state — to retain his Senate seat for the next six years. Portman received 9,665 votes from county residents, versus 2,684 for Democrat Ted Strickland.

U.S. Representative Bob Latta was an easy winner in the county, receiving 10,882 votes to 2,454 for Democrat challenger James Neu Jr.

Those unopposed on the ballot received “complimentary” votes, with Sheriff Thomas M. Riggenbach garnering the most votes (11,352) of all those on the county ballot, followed by County Treasurer Beverly Fuerst (11,156).

County Elections Director Linda Stutz said the county saw a record turnout of more than 13,000 ballots cast, but couldn’t provide an exact figure as of Tuesday night because of election night duties.

“It easily was a record,” Stutz said of the turnout. The race with the largest vote-count, unsurprisingly, was the presidential election, which saw 13,584 votes cast.

County voters approved all 10 levies on the ballot, although the county provides only a portion of votes for levies in the City of Delphos and Spencerville Local Schools. Both Van Wert County Council on Aging renewal levies passed, with the 0.25-mill levy garnering 9,843 votes for, to 3,172 votes against, and the 0.2-mill levy receiving 9,892 votes for, to 3,064 against.

Crestview Local Schools’ permanent improvement renewal levy passed 1,426 to 825, while 699 county voters voted “yes” on Delphos’ 4.05-mill, five-year operating levy, compared to 527 against, while city residents in Allen County also approved it. The vote was 1,352 for to 667 against.

The small portion of county voters who voted on Spencerville Local Schools’ 1.4-mill, five-year permanent improvement levy approved the issue 46-23, while the issue passed overall 1,436-915.