Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) - Special Meeting 01/02/2024
Meeting Info: A Board of Elections Special Meeting on January 2, 2024 was called to order at 2:05 pm in BOE Conference Room at 470 Center St, Bldg 6A, Chardon, OH, 44024. Meeting attendance was both in-person and virtual via Microsoft Teams. An agenda and itemized listing of expenses was provided to attendees. This Observer attended virtually.
Public Comment Policy: No written policy and not listed on agenda. In practice, the Board accepts public comment and addresses questions throughout the meeting.
Board Attendance: Present were Dennis Pavella (Chair), Nancy McArthur, Janet Carson and Joan Windnagel.
Staff Attendance: Geauga BOE Director Michelle Lane, Deputy Director Nora McGinnis and Office Administrator Scott Daisher as needed.
Public Attendance: Richard Piraino in-person. Mike Petruziello, Sharon Gingerich and Sharon Madger virtually.
Minutes: BOE approved minutes for December 14, 2023.
Payment of Bills: The Board approved payment of routine bills.
Ballot Allocation for March 19, 2024 Primary Election: Per Ohio Secretary of State guidance, the Boards of Election must order enough ballots to cover registered voters in the County plus a 1% overage. Board members reviewed the recommended allocation that was prepared by Ms. McGinnis and made adjustments based on the lack of statewide or county issues. A total of 68,500 ballots will be ordered, and the purchase is subject to bid procedures.
Camera Proposal - Mrs. Lane explained she received an email about a proposal by the Geauga Sheriff and County Commissioners to install cameras at route 44 and Ravenwood Drive that would capture license plate information. They were asked to share in the cost. Mr. Pavella stated that unlike the BOE ballot box, which must be monitored by cameras 24/7 per the Secretary of State (SOS), there is no directive to capture license plate information for general public traffic. The Board passed a motion declining to participate.
Marshall Presentation - The Board approved a presentation to a local Geauga group by a long time Election Marshall. The presentation will cover what the work entails, and an outline will be provided to Mrs. Lane in advance.
Security at County Administration Building - Mrs. Lane stated she is interviewing vendors for the required security system at the new County Administration building. The building key card control system does not satisfy the stringent requirements set forth for the Board of Elections. There was some discussion as to whether the County Commissioners should pay for the required security system, and Mrs. Lane was instructed to review the Settlement Agreement. Mrs. Lane will also follow up to determine whether ADP approval is required.
On a related note, Mrs. Carson inquired whether the County Commissioners had responded to disability and security assessments completed by the Ohio Secretary of State and the Department of Homeland Security. Per Mrs. Lane, there has been no communication from County Commissioners on these matters. Reviewer Comment: See Consent Decree filed May 26, 2023 for settlement terms of the legal action taken by BOE against BOCC to ensure the new space in the County Office Building meets requirements for executing elections as set forth by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Petition Certification for March 19, 2024 Primary Election - Candidate petitions and declarations were audited by BOE staff for compliance with filing requirements as set forth in the 2024 Ohio Candidate Requirement Guide. The following candidate petitions were verified:
FOR STATEWIDE RACES
Candidate petitions are filed with the Ohio Secretary of State (Ohio SOS)who then sends the petitions to each county for verification. These are then returned to the Ohio SOS for final certification.
UNITED STATES SENATE
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(Dem) verified petitions for Sherrod Brown
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(Rep) verified petitions for Frank LaRose, Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan
JUSTICE, OHIO SUPREME COURT, COMMENCING JAN 1, 2025
JUSTICE, OHIO SUPREME COURT, COMMENCING JAN 2, 2025
JUSTICE, OHIO SUPREME COURT, UNEXPIRED DEC 31, 2026
FOR DISTRICT RACES COVERING MULTIPLE COUNTIES
Candidate petitions must be filed with the county board of elections in the most populous county within the district. Petitions may still be filed in the other counties, who will examine them for certification. For some races petitions are only filed in the most populous county. In these cases, there will be no action required by Geauga BOE.
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 14TH DISTRICT (files with Lake BOE)
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(Dem) no candidate filed in Geauga; Brian Bob Kenderes certified by Lake County BOE
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(Rep) certified petitions for Dave Joyce, Ken Polke and Mark Zetzer; Elayne J. Cross was also certified by Lake BOE.
JUDGE, 11TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS, TERM COMMENCING FEB 9, 2025 (files with Lake BOE)
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(Dem) no candidate filed in either Geauga or Lake.
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(Rep) certified petitions for John J. Eklund after noting a non-fatal failure to sign the Declaration of Candidacy on petition #2; Shelly Pratt was also certified by Lake County BOE.
JUDGE, 11TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS - TERM COMMENCING FEB 10, 2025 (files with Lake BOE)
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(Dem) no candidate filed in either Geauga or Lake.
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(Rep) certified petitions for Scott Lynch after voting to refer one signature deemed questionable to the Geauga County Prosecutor for further examination. The signature is on part 3 of a petition circulated by David Lynch; Colleen Mary O’Toole was also certified by Lake County BOE.
JUDGE, 11TH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS - UNEXPIRED FEB 10, 2027 (files with Lake BOE)
OHIO SENATE, 32ND DISTRICT (files with Trumbull BOE)
OHIO REPRESENTATIVE, 99TH DISTRICT (files with Geauga BOE)
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(Dem) certified petitions for Louis Murphy after discussing an incorrect primary date on a petition, which is not a fatal flaw.
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(Rep) certified petitions for Sarah Fowler Arthur
OHIO REPRESENTATIVE, 35TH DISTRICT (files with Summit BOE)
OHIO REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE MAN, 32ND DISTRICT (files with Trumbull BOE)
OHIO REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE WOMAN, 32ND DISTRICT (files with Trumbull BOE)
FOR GEAUGA COUNTY RACES
Candidate petitions are filed with the Geauga Board of Elections. The Board reviewed petitions for the following races and certified all candidates:
JUDGE, COUNTY COMMON PLEAS, GENERAL DIVISION
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(Dem) Mary Jane Trapp
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(Rep) Matt Rambo
GEAUGA COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS
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(Dem) no candidate filed
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(Rep) Sheila Bevington
GEAUGA COUNTY CORONER
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(Dem) no candidate filed
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(Rep) John Urbancic
GEAUGA COUNTY ENGINEER
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(Dem) no candidate filed
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(Rep) Andrew Haupt
GEAUGA COUNTY PROSECUTOR
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(Dem) no candidate filed
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(Rep) James R. Flaiz
GEAUGA COUNTY RECORDER
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(Dem) no candidate filed
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(Rep) Celesta Mullins
GEAUGA COUNTY SHERIFF
GEAUGA COUNTY TREASURER
GEAUGA COUNTY COMMISSIONER, COMMENCING JAN 2, 2025
GEAUGA COUNTY COMMISSIONER, COMMENCING JAN 3, 2025
Observer Comment: Note that Mrs. McArthur, who had filed as a candidate for County Commissioner, participated in all petition reviews except her own race, which was considered last. Upon being certified, Mrs. McArthur immediately submitted her resignation from the Board of Elections, which was accepted by the remaining members.
FOR GEAUGA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Reviewer Note: At the county level, the election to the Republican Central Committee is for a 4 year term while the Democratic Central Committee term is 2 years. In 2026 Geauga County will have elections for both parties. State Central Committee terms are the opposite. More information from the Ohio Secretary of State is available here.
Declarations of Candidacy are filed with the Geauga Board of Elections. Upon the recommendation of BOE staff, the Board certified all candidates:
The Board DENIED a request from Sam Morrow, Geauga County Central Committee Candidate for Middlefield Village B, to change his name on the ballot from Joseph Morrow to Sam Morrow. After reviewing the SOS directive, it was determined that Sam is not a permissible derivative of Mr. Morrow’s name, as registered. He will be advised of acceptable alternatives so that he may submit a new request.
Director’s Report - Ms. Lane reported:
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The garage area adjacent to the BOE offices at 420 Center St. has been cleared out. It will be used as a queuing space for those who elect to vote early in the primary election.
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She has been focused on security issues, reviewing candidate petitions and preparing for the Ohio Association of Elections Officials (OAEO) Winter Conference
Deputy Director Report - Ms. McGinnis reported:
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She has been focused on preparing minutes, payroll, bills and obtaining the tax-exempt certificate for the OAEO Winter Conference
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For the March 19 primary election, she has been reviewing petitions and preparing the ballot allocation.
Public Comment: Mrs. Gingerich sought clarification about the Board’s recommendation to refer one of Mr. Lynch’s petition signatures to the County Prosecutor for review.
This reviewer confirmed the regular January meeting is expected to be canceled.
Meeting Adjourned at 4:45 pm
Next Meeting - Special Meeting on January 29, 2024 at 1:00 pm.
Approved Minutes - posted on the BOE website.
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Sarah McGlone
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
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