With virtually all of Ohio’s 1.9 million absentee ballots now counted, President Barack Obama is leading GOP challenger Mitt Romney by 53.89 percent to 44.71 percent.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, Obama has an edge of 178,296 votes in early voting.
In 2008, 67 percent of Ohio’s registered voters cast ballots. If that turnout percentage holds true in 2012, absentee ballots would amount to about 35 percent of the total vote in Ohio, which should approach 5.2 million unless turnout declines.
Now the question will be whether Obama’s lead in early votes will enable him to survive the expected surge in Romney’s Election Day totals. His current lead represents only about 3 percent of the total votes expected to be cast.
Ohio election officials will continue to accept new absentee ballots as they arrive in the mail, however, as long as they are postmarked before the election.
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