what is wrong with the precincts in those counties? It seems as if they aren't as neatly drawn elsewhere and if you click on one thing another precinct is highlighted elsewhere.
When a city annexes territory it is removed from its former township (this is optional but larger cities typically do this, while villages in the countryside typically remain part of the township). Where there have been a lot of annexations, the townships are often left with dozens of fragments.
Elections are administered by counties, but they are based on cities and townships. Rather than providing a precinct for each little fragment of a township, they combine fragments. If you go to the Franklin County Board of Elections web site, under Candidate Services, there are ward maps. Click on something like Franklin Township.
Ohio election law also requires relatively small election precincts. In Texas if you had a neighborhood with 1300 voters, it would simply be in one precinct. Ohio might require 2.6 precincts (one per 500 voters or whatever number they use). Rather than divide it into 3 small sized precincts, they might include 200 more voters down the road a mile on the other side of a township fragment.
