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Post-Election Audit Confirms Accuracy of November Election; 

BOE Announces Retirement of Director Michelle Lane, Effective January 16, 2026

Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) - Special Meeting December 1, 2025

Meeting Info: Special Meeting on December 1, 2025 at 9:00 am in BOE Conference Room at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 004 (Basement), Chardon, OH, 44024. In-person and virtual, via Microsoft Teams.

 

Agenda: An agenda was provided in advance.

Attendance: Present were:

• Board Chair - Dennis Pavella

• Board Vice Chair  - Joan Windnagel

• Board Member - Janet Carson

• Board Member - Richard Piraino

• Director - Michelle Lane

• Deputy Director - Nora McGinnis

• Office Administrator - Scott Daisher (as needed)

County Representatives: From Automatic Data Processing (ADP), virtually, Charles E. Walder, County Auditor & Chief Administrator; in person, Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator and Chief Information Security Officer.

Others: This LWV Geauga Observer, in person.

Call to Order: 9:11 am

 

Minutes: Board Minutes for Special Meetings on November 4, 2025, November 11, 2025, and November 17, 2025, were approved without edits or discussion.

Payment of Bills: Invoices totaling $1,199.85 were approved unanimously and included:

• MNJ Technologies       $30.00           for 2 Lexmark printer waste containers 

• Chardon Oil                  $68.68           for fuel for equipment delivery

• Graphic Village       $1,101.17           for Form 12C printing of 2,500 nursing home envelopes

Auditor’s Report: Mr. Antenucci asked if the BOE offices had been affected by the power outage caused by high winds on November 28 and November 29. Mrs. Lane reported that their computers had to be rebooted when staff returned to the building after the Thanksgiving break, but there did not appear to be any computer damage. She stated that power had been off again that morning, and Mr. Pavella noted, “we’re on the worst line in the county here.” Mr. Antenucci agreed. He said other offices had experienced blown UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supplies), which caused some computers’ internal components to fail. He was glad that hadn’t happened at the BOE.

 

Mrs. Windnagel asked if there was any way to work with The Illuminating Company to upgrade their electrical lines. Mr. Antenucci said that was a question for the Commissioners.

 

Mrs. Carson described how residents in her neighborhood successfully pushed for improvements by sending a petition to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), who eventually arranged for a new transformer in their area. She emphasized that PUCO will respond when enough pressure is applied and commented that the board could send a letter to PUCO themselves stressing the importance of reliable power to their work. “It’s a squeaky wheel that gets the grease,” Mrs. Carson said, adding that “they (PUCO) are fairly responsive, but you have to make noise…. I wouldn’t rely on the Commissioners to do it.”

Mrs. Carson added that local officials in other communities demand good service, while Geauga’s officials “don’t make any noise, they don’t scream, they don’t write letters.”

Mr. Antenucci expressed concern that The Illuminating Company might point back to the county’s generator as a reason not to make changes. Mrs. Carson said the fact that many of her neighbors had generators didn’t seem to affect First Energy’s response. 

Mr. Pavella reported hearing from a FirstEnergy consultant that the company is currently “in complete and utter chaos,” struggling to meet even routine service needs. Several board members noted that this outage did not occur during extreme weather, only windy conditions, raising further concern about reliability during true winter storms or summer heat waves.

Mr. Antenucci explained that the building went to generator power twice over the weekend, but because the generator does not support HVAC, there was no heat. The board discussed the risks to staff, to pipes, to technology, and to BOE voting equipment. All agreed that a multi-day outage could result in burst pipes directly over voting equipment, valued at over $1 million.

Board members agreed that the building’s generator was undersized from the start, with Mr. Pavella characterizing the decision as “penny wise and pound foolish. That’s the story of this whole building.” Mr. Antenucci noted that the county saved roughly $400,000 by not installing a generator large enough to run HVAC in a $28 million building. He expressed uncertainty about long-term solutions but agreed that a collective push to FirstEnergy may be needed, “because we certainly aren’t self-sufficient here.” 

In closing, Mr. Antenucci asked staff to report any remaining issues caused by the outage, explaining that maintenance crews are addressing damaged components as they are discovered. The board thanked him for his concern and diligence.

Mrs. Carson asked if there were updates on other issues in front of the Commissioners, such as funding, the security system and/or evacuation plans.

Mr. Antenucci reported that the Commissioners seem to be focused on hiring a new maintenance director and that he has not heard anything related to maintenance. He said he hoped “they hit a home run with a new maintenance director… somebody who sees the big plan, the future strategy, but then also fixes the little things in the meantime.” 

There was additional discussion about various recent power outages and heating problems in the county.

Mrs. Lane returned to the concern that future power outages could result in burst pipes, pointing out that the pipe valves are in the storage room that houses the voting equipment. She reminded the board that no one can legally be in the storage room without both a Democrat and a Republican employee from the BOE present. She said she worried that in an emergency, such as a water leak or blizzard, this requirement could delay access, potentially resulting in equipment damage. She emphasized that this is a major issue and that they need to keep reiterating to the Commissioners that the storage room is not a good place for the equipment. Mr. Pavella agreed, saying that the BOE’s consent decree states that if the board determines there’s not enough storage space, they can ask for alternative storage. He said he made that request to the County Administrator and would keep repeating the request because “it’s time to do something.” There was additional discussion about the difficulties with inadequate equipment storage space and possible alternative sites such as the nearby library.

Mr. Antenucci and Mr. Walder departed the meeting at 9:27 am.

Observer Note: This note is included here because it is relevant to the topic, but it happened at the end of the meeting before the meeting adjourned. Board members again discussed the issue of power outages and their effect on BOE functions. They expressed concern that no one from the BOE was notified about the outage. It was noted that without a county maintenance director, no alternative chain of command has been established for alerting staff in an emergency. Mr. Pavella stated several times that the immediate need is to set up notifications to BOE staff on county devices. The board discussed asking ADP Director Charles Walder or his staff to alert them in the event of a power outage, and Mr. Pavella said he would reach out to Mr. Antenucci about this idea. The group agreed, saying they had confidence in ADP’s reliability to manage such alerts.

Recount – Member of Board of Education Mentor Exempted Schools. Observer Note: This recount was on the agenda but was waved as the losing candidate, Robert Izzo, officially conceded. The final certified results confirmed Daniel Hardesty as the winner over Mr. Izzo by an eight-vote difference. Though the Mentor Exempted Village School District is located primarily in Lake County, it does include a portion of Chardon Township in Geauga County.

9:31 am Post Election Audit:  Mr. Daisher informed the board that five bipartisan teams, one for each precinct, had received their instructions and were ready examine ballots as determined by the board at the November 11, 2025 Election Certification Meeting from the following precincts: Bainbridge Township A, Bainbridge Township F, Hambden Township D, South Russell Village C and South Russell Village A. These ballots would be hand-counted by bipartisan teams. 

Mr. Daisher said that teams for the Bainbridge precincts would count ballots for 3 races: Bainbridge Township Trustee, Kenston Local School District Board of Education, and Issue 1, the Job and Family Services county-wide levy. Teams for Hambden and both South Russell precincts would audit ballots for Issue 1.

Observer Note: Due to close results, automatic recounts were required for the Kenston School District Board of Education race and the Bainbridge Township Trustee race. Please see the November 11, 2025, BOE LWVG Observer Report for more information about the Post Election Audit and November 17, 2025, BOE LWVG Observer Report for more information about Election Recounts.

Audit Results – At approximately 11:26 am, the BOE reconvened to the conference room, and Mr. Daisher reported that for all precincts, 100% accuracy was achieved, with the hand-counted totals matching the machine-scanned totals that were reported as unofficial results on Election night. The board voted unanimously on a motion to accept the results of the audit. 

While waiting for the audit to conclude, board members discussed their strong concerns about Ohio Senate Bill 293 that eliminates the absentee ballot “cure period.” The new law will now require all absentee ballots to be received by the BOE by 7:30 pm (poll close) on Election Day in order to be counted. Click here for more information on the bill. 

Mrs. Carson said she would like the BOE to develop an office plan to manage this change, including additional mail pickups, especially a final Election Day run to the post office before it closes.

Board members emphasized the importance of voter communication, noting that most voters won’t understand what “no cure period” means. They talked about the possibility of sending an additional postcard or brightly colored notice—attached to the instruction sheet or included with applications—clearly stating in bold print that ballots must be received by Election Day. Mr. Pavella pointed out that the Board of Elections doesn’t control all the absentee ballots applications in a Governor’s Election.  Reviewer Note: Currently The Secretary of State sends out applications in even numbered years when the Governor is elected (as well as other statewide officials).

The board also discussed encouraging voters to vote in person or use the drop box to avoid mail delays. Concerns were raised about shifting to in-person voting because of the BOE’s early voting space limitations. 

Members also expressed frustration that the Legislature passed the bill despite potential negative effects on elderly voters and those with unexpected emergencies. They noted situations where voters are hospitalized or called away for work and would have difficulty meeting the new deadline. They also discussed current restrictions that prevent non-family members from returning an absentee ballot to a drop box.

Mrs. Carson speculated that the Governor may allow the bill to become law without signing it and that lawsuits may follow, possibly involving groups like the ACLU or League of Women Voters. However, the board was unsure whether litigation would delay implementation.

Mrs. Windnagel said she wishes politicians would “look at the demographics and how close the races are… it could affect them.”

Mr. Piraino asked if the Secretary of State’s office had offered any guidelines. The board was unsure if guidelines were issued.

Mrs. Carson voiced disappointment with the Ohio Association of Election Officials (OAEO) for not taking a stand against the legislation, speculating that some board members may have feared political repercussions. 

Mrs. Carson also said she was disappointed in Ohio’s state legislators for responding to the President’s request to the Secretary of State (SoS) for this change, saying “we don’t have problems with this in Ohio.” Overall, they viewed the change as a political solution to a non-existent problem that will create real difficulties for voters and election staff. Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Windnagel said they hoped the lack of a temporary stay would allow problems to surface during the primary, giving everyone more time to prepare for November.

The board also discussed changing Geauga County demographics in advance of their Work Session on potential precinct changes on December 16 at 1:00 pm. Observer Note: The Secretary of State’s office dictates that precinct sizes must not exceed 1,400 voters. The board is evaluating two Bainbridge precincts, B and D, that are close to this limit.  Mrs. Carson said she hopes to limit changes to creating a single new precinct, depending on where D and B overlap. 

Executive Session pursuant to ORC 121.22 (G)(1), on employment of a public official

At approximately 11:40 am, the board approved a motion to move into Executive Session. Upon return, the board announced the retirement of Director Michelle Lane, effective January 16, 2026. The resignation was accepted by unanimous vote “with deep regret” from the board, who thanked Mrs. Lane for “her many years of devotion and service to the voters of Geauga County.” 

Mr. Pavella stated they would place advertisements for the positions of Director or Deputy Director in the News Herald for one week, starting December 7, as well as in the December 11 issue of Chagrin Valley Times. The positions will also be posted on the BOE’s website and the electionline and Secretary of State’s websites. The ads will require all applications to be submitted by December 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm. 

Commenting on her retirement, Mrs. Lane said, “you know it’s time… it’s time for other people to step up who might be younger.…” She said that she would be available to help if needed.

Director’s Report – Mrs. Lane reported:

• The new signage for curbside voters is in. It will be posted on the fence around the generator and tell voters that BOE staff are aware they are waiting and to stay in their vehicles until a staff member comes out to help them.

• She is working on preparations for her departure, including final touches on the checklist spreadsheet of election activities. She said she will make the spreadsheet available to Mr. Pavella and Mrs. McGinnis to assist in election planning and management.

• She noted that BOE processes are a lot “cleaner” now. As an example, she noted that the election manual has gone from 52 pages to 8 since she started. 

Deputy Director’s Report – Mrs. McGinnis reported she has been:

• Working on the three sets of meeting minutes.

• Updating the spreadsheets for 2026 payroll and vacation schedules.

• Working on the paperwork for the County Commissioners for the monies returned to the SoS for the last election. She said the request was approved by the Commissioners.

Mrs. Windnagel asked about election grant monies. Mrs. McGinnis explained they are waiting for the SoS to reissue the $4,300 grant check that had bounced. She said they had just received an SoS email that stated they will reissue the check once the BOE returns the original with the required documentation. 

Meeting adjourned at 12:38 pm.

Next meeting – Regular meeting on January 8, 2026. There will be a Work Session on potential precinct changes on December 16 at 1:00 pm.

Observer: Rooney Moy

Editor: Gail Roussey

Reviewer: Carol Benton 

Date Submitted: December 7, 2025

The League of Women Voters of Geauga is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. They do not support or oppose individual candidates or parties. Learn more about the LWVG at www.lwvgeauga.org.