Board of Elections Prepares for May 6, 2025 Special Election and
for late June or early July Move to Geauga County Office Building
Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) - Regular Meeting 03/20/2025
Meeting Info: Regular Meeting on March 20, 2025 at 9:02 am in BOE Conference Room at 470 Center St, Bldg 6A, Chardon, OH, 44024. Attendance options were both in-person and virtual, via Microsoft (MS) Teams. An agenda was provided in advance.
Public Comment Policy: The Board of Elections typically responds to questions about agenda items throughout the course of their meetings. Those exchanges are documented below as they occur.
Attendance: Present were:
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Board Chair - Dennis Pavella
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Board Member - Joan Windnagel
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Board Member - Richard Piraino
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Director - Michelle Lane
Board Member Janet Carson was absent and did not participate virtually.
County Representatives: Frank Antenucci, Chief Deputy Administrator, ADP (Automatic Data Processing) attended virtually.
Others: One member of the public, Ohio Secretary of State Liaison Fiona Ruminsk and this LWVG Observer attended in-person. One member of the public attended virtually.
Minutes: The March 3, 2025 Board Minutes were approved without comment or edit. Minutes when published can be found here.
Election Day Readiness - ADP will continue its practice of providing full IT support on Election Day, meaning they will be on hand before polls open until results are approved and relayed to the Secretary of State.
Preparations for Move to Geauga County Office Building (GCOB)
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Regarding mandated installation of cameras in the elevator serving the BOE, Mr. Antenucci said they are still waiting for the vendor, Schindler Elevator, to complete their legal review of the contract.
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He discussed the problem of limited parking during early voting hours with Glen Vernick, Maintenance Director, and they are in agreement that county vehicles can be temporarily parked elsewhere to provide more parking capacity for voters.
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ADP met with Glen Vernick and Kathy Hostutler, Human Resource Manager, to develop a plan for a building-wide emergency alert system. It should be ready in about a month.
Observer Comment: The Secretary of State requires the Board of Elections to have an emergency alert system in place. No provisions were made during construction of the GCOB so ADP is now retrofitting BOE and the rest of the building to facilitate building wide notification of any threats or dangerous situations.
Book Retention Review - in anticipation of moving, Mrs. Lane provided the Board with a list of outdated book collections, including old copies of the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Election Statistics from 1980-2008, Ohio Population Reports for 1960, 1970 and 1980 and the like. They prefer not to move these items or to use valuable storage space in the new office to house them. The Board instructed Mrs. Lane to seek guidance from the ADP Department of Archives and Records.
Preparations for May 6 Special Election
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Ballot test decks prepared by new printer Phoenix Graphics were successful
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Public tests of voting equipment will be held on March 25
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Must have commitment from Russell Twp for new polling location by March 28
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Training dates are set for precinct election officials; training to be held at GCOB
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Poll workers are needed, approximately 10 Republicans and 2-3 Democrats
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They are planning to return the voting equipment to the GCOB on election night. They can transport a few DS200 tabulators to the current location if a recount is necessary.
Campaign Finance Reports - Mrs. Lane reported staff completed audits of the reports, which were timely filed. Board voted 3-0 to accept the audited reports.
2025 Ohio Secretary of State Summer Conference - Mrs. Lane indicated no agenda or hotel information is currently available.
Regional Meeting - Richland County Board of Elections is hosting a regional meeting of BOE’s on either August 1 or August 8.
Director’s Report - Mrs. Lane reported:
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She is working with the County Prosecutor’s Office on a contract for their letter opening machine
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She is working with the Secretary of State’s office to properly decommission 95 poll pads
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They are beginning to pull together their county budget proposal, which is due April 18. She would like to request funds to cover incidental expenses relating to their pending move.
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They would like to hire videographer Cole Kornell at a cost of $1,650 to update some of their training videos
Deputy Director’s Report - Mrs. McGinnis reported:
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She is paying bills out of grant monies received for the May 6 election
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They are ready to send the ballot order to Phoenix Graphics
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She has updated the website with required notices and to reflect withdrawal of the West Geauga School Board bond issue
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She and Mrs. Lane attended the ADP meeting
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She and Mrs. Lane conducted a tornado drill with staff
Public Comment - This observer inquired when BOE anticipates moving to the Geauga County Office Building. Mr. Pavella responded late June or early July and Mrs. Lane noted that ADP will need at least 3 weeks to set up their systems.
Adjourned at 10:06 am.
Next Meeting:
Regular Meeting on April 17, 2025 at 9:00 am.
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Carol Benton
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Date Submitted: March 30, 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.