Suspicious of Ohio

BradBlog has screenshots of WCPO.com's Special Election Results page from throughout last night. What I find curious is that at 10:40pm, with 88% of precincts having reported, it was 50/50, which is how it was trending for most of the evening. In the subsequent 22 minutes, the remaining 12% of precincts reported, resulting in such a significant surge by Schmidt, that she won by 4%.

Shaker and Julien’s List contributor Holly points us to this story in which it is reported:

After all six other counties in the district had completed their ballot counts in what was a low-turnout election, Schmidt’s home county, Clermont, had reported a little more than half of its precincts.

“I have no idea what is going on over there,” said Hamilton County Board of Elections chairman Tim Burke. “I don’t know what their problem is.”

Does that final surge just seem coincidental because Schmidt’s home county was the last to report its final results, or were their results deliberately delayed to provide just such an explanation for a late surge in case one had to be fabricated?

I hate asking questions that like, because it just doesn’t make me feel all that good. In fact, it leaves me feeling pretty icky.