Incumbents Lose Ground Across Geauga County
Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) Special Meeting - November 4, 2025
Meeting Info - Special Meeting on November 4, 2025 in the BOE Conference Room at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 004 (Basement), Chardon, OH, 44024. The board entered into session at 6:25 a.m. and remained in session until election results were finalized the following morning at 12:47 a.m. Attendance was in-person and virtual via MS Teams.
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 - Richard Piraino
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Board Member - Joan Windnagel
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Board Member - Janet Carson
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Director - Michelle Lane
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Deputy Director - Nora McGinnis
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Office Administrator - Scott Daisher
County Representatives: In person, Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator & Chief Information Security Officer, Automated Data Processing (ADP).
Others: This observer, virtually in the morning and then in person after 7:00 pm to observe tabulation of the election results.
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order at 6:25 a.m.
Opening of Polls: At 6:28, the board voted to open the polls at 6:30 a.m.
Minutes - Minutes for the Regular Meeting on October 16, 2025 were approved without edits 4-0.
Payment of Bills - Invoices totaling $26,507.78 were approved unanimously and included:
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$18,360.00 to Phoenix Graphics for election day ballots
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$3,564.92 to Geauga Maple Leaf for issue notices
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$3,335.00 to Just Add Tech for video set up in board conference room
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$686.39 to Guardian Alarm for panic button/monthly monitor lease
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$200.00 to Geauga Maple Leaf for Election Day proclamation
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$187.05 to Quill for office and kitchen supplies
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$174.42 to Intab for security seals
Mr. Piraino inquired whether the $3,500 video set up was within budget and Mr. Pavella confirmed that up to $5,000 had been budgeted.
Review Insufficient Absentee Ballots & Envelopes - Staff presented 17 absentee ballots and envelopes with various deficiencies for board review. The Board was able to determine voter intent for 9 of the absentee ballots and envelopes, and these ballots are reflected in the absentee vote totals. To be reflected in the final results, the remaining deficient ballots and envelopes must be cured by voters by Saturday, November 8th.
Provisional Ballot Processing - The board voted 4-0 to instruct staff to process Election Day provisional ballots, bringing any questionable envelopes or ballots to the board for further scrutiny.
Winter 2026 Conference Ohio Association of Election Officials – Mrs. Lane indicated no new information was available.
Thanksgiving Holiday - The board voted 4-0 to close the office on Friday, November 28, 2025
Post November 4 General Election Meeting Dates - The originally chosen canvas/certification meeting date was changed when it became clear that automatic recounts would be required for the Bainbridge Township and Kenston School Board races. Observer Note: Recount rules are specified in Chapter 11 of the Ohio Secretary of State Official Election Manual.
Post election meeting dates include:
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Monday, Nov 10 at 9:30 a.m. - Public test of election equipment
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Tuesday, Nov 11 at 9:00 a.m. - Official canvas and certification
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Monday, Nov 17 at 9:00 a.m. - Recounts (tentative)
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Wednesday, Dec 3, time TBD - Post election audit
Report from ADP – Mr. Antenucci arrived at 7:37 am and reported that all systems are operating smoothly. He noted that having all servers and IT staff in one location has made it much easier to support the BOE.
Mrs. Lane commended ADP for the voting notification system they developed to support curbside voting.
Polling Location Visits - Board members departed shortly before 8:00 am to visit polling locations throughout Geauga County.
Evening Session - Mr. Pavella, Mrs. Windnagel and Mr. Piraino reconvened at the board office at 7:00 pm and voted to close the polls at 7:30 pm. Mrs. Carson arrived shortly thereafter. This observer attended the evening portion of the meeting in-person in order to observe the tabulation process.
Absentee Ballots - Staff tabulated absentee ballots and provided a report showing that 4,204 absentee ballots were cast.
Election Day Ballots - Results were tabulated in batches with frequent updates made on the BOE website.
Write-In Reviews -More than 4 hours were required to review write-in ballot entries for candidates in Burton Village, Claridon Township, Chester Township and Chardon School Board races. For each ballot, a bi-partisan team of board members reviewed scanned images of the write-in section of voters’ ballots in order to ascertain each voter’s intention and assign the vote to the proper candidate.
Unofficial Results - Absentee Ballots, Election Day Ballots and Write-In ballots were tabulated and a final report showing unofficial results was produced around 12:30 am Results were relayed to the Secretary of State and posted to the BOE website by ADP staff. Observer Note: Provisional ballots and “4 day” absentee ballots postmarked by November 3 and received by November 8 will be added to the tally during the official canvas meeting on November 11.
The board voted 4-0 to accept the unofficial results of the 11/4/2025 General Election. Key data included:
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Voter turnout of 32.91%, with 22,025 ballots cast
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81% of voters cast their ballot on Election Day
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Numerous incumbents were not re-elected
Detailed reports of unofficial results are posted on the Geauga BOE website:
Meeting adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 12:47 am.
Next Meetings: The regular Nov 20 meeting is cancelled. Post election meetings include:
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Monday, Nov 10 at 9:30 a.m. - Public test of election equipment
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Tuesday, Nov 11 at 9:00 a.m. - Official canvas and certification
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Monday, Nov 17 at 9:00 a.m. - Recounts (tentative)
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Wednesday, Dec 3, time TBD - Post election audit
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Carol Benton
Date Submitted: November 5, 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.