Earlier this week, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose certified the official results of the Nov. 5 general election. In doing so, he noted voter turnout was the second-highest on record in Ohio (the 2020 general election was the highest).

With voter participation at 71.7% and more than 5.8 million ballots cast, there was a lot to keep track of — and to get right. But LaRose said the consensus among bipartisan elections officials was that this had been the smoothest in the state’s history.

“More people are paying attention to the process of administering elections, and that scrutiny helps drive both readiness and accountability,” LaRose said. “I can’t say enough great things about the dedication of our frontline election staff and their volunteers who make everything look so easy. Elections require an incredible amount of careful preparation, training and logistics, and this year we saw that come together to great effect.”

Given how long it took some other states to report results, Ohio can, indeed, be proud.

“Many states look to Ohio to see how it’s done,” LaRose said. “We delivered on our promise to report 100% of the unofficial results on election night, while others took days or weeks to do that. We’re truly the gold standard of election administration, and I’m so grateful to the people who worked tirelessly to make it happen.”

What those elections officials and poll workers accomplished last month is impressive — and important.

Buckeye State residents are grateful for them, too.