Recount coming after JA bond flip flop
Editor’s note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
After provisional and absentee votes appeared to flip Jonathan Alder’s bond issue to a victory by just three votes, district officials said the slim margin will automatically trigger a recount.
The Union County Board of Elections updated its numbers Monday and those vote totals, combined with updated numbers from Madison County, indicate the bond received more votes for it than against it.
Final vote totals show the measure passing with 2,281 votes for it and 2,278 votes against it, when tallies from Union, Madison and Franklin counties are added together. In Union County, the bond received 904 votes for and 815 votes against it. In Madison County, the bond received 1,375 for it and 1,462 votes against it. Initially, the voters in Franklin County approved the bond 2-1, though that board of elections has yet to count the absentee votes. According to the board results, Franklin County has one listed absentee ballot. Officials there said they will be counting their provisional and absentee votes Tuesday with official certification coming on Wednesday.
As a result of the change, Jonathan Alder released a statement saying they understood an automatic recount means waiting a few more days for official results, but they “remain focused on the future of our students and the strong vision outlined in the facility plan.”
“The final tally of provisional and absentee ballots has shifted the overall margin, resulting in the school district bond issue holding a slight advantage from the Nov. 4, 2025, election. This extremely narrow margin automatically triggers a mandatory recount, which will be conducted in the coming days as required by law,” the district said in a statement. “First and foremost, we want to express our deepest gratitude. The final vote total confirms the incredible support and effort invested by so many in our community.”
Officials went on to thank the board of education, bond volunteers and the community overall, noting their “commitment to our shared future and for placing your trust in the school board and administration’s vision for Jonathan Alder’s students.”
The 5.12-mill construction bond ask came after nearly two years of master facility planning efforts indicated the district would need to build to handle capacity issues coming from area growth. The issue aimed to bring the school $70 million to build a new junior high school and update other facilities around the district. The measure first went before voters in May and was defeated.
When the bond issue came before voters again on Nov. 4, the initial results indicated it failed with 2,254 votes against it and 2,242 for it, a difference of just 12 votes. Those Election Day results showed the bond passed in both Union and Franklin counties but failed in the majority of Madison County precincts.
District officials stressed that there were still several provisional and absentee ballots not yet counted. The Madison County Board of Elections met last week to count their additional votes and the Union County Board of Elections then had its count Monday morning. That count added the last few votes to the total, pushing the measure over the line for passage.
As noted in Alder’s statement, elections with this narrow of a margin automatically trigger a recount as per the Ohio Revised Code. State law notes that a board of elections “must order the automatic recount” when the difference between votes cast is “equal to or less than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the total votes cast in the candidate contest, question or issue.”
In Alder’s statement, officials thanked the community for its further patience and support for the district and noted they will communicate the timeline and results of the recount as soon as they are official.
