Recounts of Kenston Board of Education and Bainbridge Trustee Races
Confirm Reported Election Results
Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) Special Meeting - November 17, 2025
Meeting Info - Special Meeting on November 17, 2025 at 9:00 am in the BOE Conference Room at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite 004 (Basement), Chardon, OH, 44024. 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 (as needed)
County Representatives: Virtually, Charles E. Walder, County Auditor & Chief Administrator, Automatic Data Processing (ADP); In person, Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator & Chief Information Security Officer, ADP.
Others: In person, Bainbridge Township Trustee Candidate Matthew Domonkos, Ohio Secretary of State (SoS) Regional Liaison Dustin Russell, and this LWV Geauga Observer.
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order shortly after 9:00 am.
Minutes - None
Payment of Bills - Invoices totaling $6,115.23 were approved unanimously and included:
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$204.79 to Verizon Wireless for monthly emergency cell phones
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$36.89 to Tom Bevington for equipment pickup mileage
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$25.86 to Nora McGinnis for indoor thermometers
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$55.65 to Janet Carson for polling location visit mileage on 11/4/25
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$46.27 to Lori O’Neill for mileage - Marshall
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$277.03 to Intab for red security seals
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$2,702.00 to ES&S for BOD (ballot on demand) election setup/project management
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$191.86 to SHI Corp. for Windows 11 for the new Balotar laptop
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$175.00 to MNJ Technologies for 10 USB-C to USB-A hubs
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$1,602.00 to Technology Express for new Balotar laptop
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$170.14 to Quill for office supplies, copy paper and coffee
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$96.54 to Quill for labels
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$531.20 to ElectionSource for curbside voting/handicap signs
Report from ADP – Mr. Antenucci asked for any questions or comments, noting that this was the first election cycle with the BOE in its new location. He said from ADP’s perspective the space worked well and having all the servers in one location made things much easier. He also felt that curbside voting went well, and there was general agreement with this statement. Mr. Pavella said that they plan to submit the Geauga BOE’s approach to curbside voting for the “election idea of the year award” at the upcoming OAEO (Ohio Association of Election Officials) conference.
Ms. Lane said they notified Maintenance that ADP staff were cold in their BOE workspace.
Ms. Windnagel asked if more equipment/infrastructure was needed. Mr. Antenucci said no because everything was already high-end and up-to-date.
The problems with cameras and after hours lighting were brought up. Observer Note: See the October 16, 2025 BOE LWVG Observer Report for details. Mr. Antenucci said ADP was not in support of the type of cameras that were installed by the Commissioners’ Office, calling them “minimal government cameras.” He said they are looking at a plan to slowly replace these cameras with better ones, but this will require “a pitch to the Commissioners” to get funding. Ms. Lane said that she still cannot see well what is going on outside her office, noting that the glass looked like a mirror inside her office. She said the view was improved if she turned off the lights inside her office; everyone found it funny that she would have to work in the dark to see what was going on outside her office.
Ms. Carson asked Mr. Antenucci for an update on the fire suppression systems, but he said he hasn’t heard anything from the Commissioners on this since ADP provided them with price quotes. Observer Note: Mr. Antenucci said the Commissioners had received the fire suppression system quotes at the August 14, 2025 BOE Meeting.
Ms. Carson asked how long it’s been since there has been a conversation with the Commissioners’ Office about these facility issues. Mr. Pavella estimated that it’s been about a month. Ms. Carson suggested sending a follow-up letter, which Mr. Pavella thought was a good idea.
Mr. Walder said he had nothing to add other than to ask if there was anything ADP needed to address for the next election cycle. Mr. Pavella said he wasn’t aware of anything at this time, but that may change depending on what they find out at the OAEO Conference in January.
Mr. Walder said he thought that Mr. Antenucci did a good job having enough ADP staffing for the November election, and there was general consensus that this was the case. Mr. Walder noted that ADP might need to beef up staffing for future elections if there is heavier voter turnout.
Mr. Walder and Mr. Antenucci departed the meeting at 9:19 am.
Automatic Recount of Ballots Cast on November 4, 2025: Bainbridge Township Trustee and Member of Board of Education Kenston Local School District
The recount proceedings began at approximately 9:20 am. As determined at the November 11, 2025 BOE meeting, the ballots cast in the Bainbridge F precinct were recounted by hand by BOE staff for both the Bainbridge Township Trustee and the Kenston Local School District Board of Education races. The Bainbridge F ballots cast for the candidates in both races matched the previously reported precinct totals exactly as follows:
Next, all ballots cast in the Bainbridge Township Trustee race and the Kenston School Board race were recounted by the voting machines. The ballots cast for the candidates in both races matched the previously reported totals exactly as follows (race winners are in bold):
Certification of Recount Results - At approximately 1:15 pm, the BOE reconvened and voted unanimously to accept the recount results.
December 1, 2025 Audit - The Bainbridge A precinct was randomly selected for inclusion in the Post Election Audit on December 1, 2025 to ensure enough votes were audited for the Kenston School Board race. This is in addition to the other precincts already selected for the audit (Bainbridge Township F, Hambden Township D, South Russell Village C, and South Russell Village A). Observer Note: Please see the November 11, 2025 BOE LWVG Observer Report for more information about the Post Election Audit.
Ms. Carson suggested using more than a single team to do the hand counting of the ballots during the audit in order to be more efficient. Observer Note: These teams consist of two BOE staff members: one from each of the two major political parties. Ms. Lane suggested that these teams work in a quiet space behind a closed door while still being observable through the glass in order to minimize distractions that might cause counting errors.
Winter Conference Updates - There were no updates from the SoS regarding the OAEO Winter Conference. However, word was received that there will be a banner giveaway at the conference.
Upcoming Meeting Scheduling - Due to the OAEO conference, the January BOE meeting must be rescheduled. The BOE voted to hold a Special Meeting on January 8, 2026 at 9:00 am and to cancel the January 15, 2026 Regular Meeting. It was noted that if any re-precincting is to be done, it must occur at the January Special Meeting due to the filing deadline for the Central Committee positions (February 4, 2026). All were reminded that the only December BOE meeting will be the Post Election Audit on December 1; the December 18 Regular Meeting has been canceled. Ms. Carson and Mr. Piraino will hold a Work Session regarding potential precinct changes on December 16 at 1:00 pm.
Director’s Report - Ms. Lane reported that they had been busy preparing for the recount and have started getting ready for the May primary. She said that they have ordered signage to indicate that curbside voters should stay in their vehicles and await assistance.
Deputy Director’s Report - Ms. McGinnis also reported that they had spent a lot of time getting ready for the recount and also dealing with bills.
Adjournment - The meeting adjourned at 1:36 pm.
Next Meeting: The next Board meeting is the Post Election Audit on December 1 at 9:00 am. There will be a Work Session on potential precinct changes on December 16 at 1:00 pm. The December 18, 2025 regular meeting is canceled.
Observer: Sarah McGlone
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Date Submitted: November 20, 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.