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Obama, four-year terms gain in final vote count

The only relatively close ballot issue in Hamilton County in the Nov. 6 election - Issue 4, which sets Cincinnati city council terms at four years instead of two - picked up votes in the official vote count released this morning and passed easily.

President Obama, too, picked up votes and widened his lead over Republican Mitt Romney in Hamilton County.

When all the provisional ballots and overseas and military ballots were added, Issue 4 passed with 51.4 percent of the vote. The unofficial election night total had the issue passing with 51 percent.

Council member Laure Quinlivan, a Democrat, proposed the four-year terms. It will go into effect in the 2013 council elections and will be the first time since 1927 that Cincinnati voters have not chosen council  members for two-year terms.

Obama picked up 11,419 votes in the official vote count, giving him 52.5 percent of the vote in Hamilton County, compared to 51.8 percent in his unofficial election night county. Romney picked up 4,673 votes, giving him an official total of 46.15 percent.

Obama won Ohio's 18 electoral votes.

The Hamilton County Board of Elections will meet at 4 p.m. today to officially certify the results.

There were no candidate races or ballot issues in Hamilton County that will require an automatic recount.

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.