Board of Elections Works to Implement New Voting Rules
Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) Regular Meeting - March 19, 2026
Meeting Info - Regular Meeting on March 19, 2026 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 - Tyler Plants
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Deputy Director - Nora McGinnis
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Office Administrator - Scott Daisher, appearing as needed
County Representatives: In person, Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator & Chief Information Security Officer, Automated Data Processing (ADP); Ron Weigle, Geauga County Maintenance Director
Others: Online, one member of the public and Ohio Secretary of State (SoS) Regional Liaison Dustin
Russell (arrived around 10:10 am). In person, two members of the public and this Observer.
Call to Order - The meeting was called to order shortly after 9:00 am.
Minutes - Minutes for the Special Meeting on February 17, 2026 were approved without edits 3-0, with Mrs. Carson abstaining.
Payment of Bills - Invoices totaling $9,080.71 were approved unanimously and included:
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$5,000.00 to Creative Government Outreach (CGO) for pollpad, DS200 scanner and Express Vote instructional videos
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$1,618.00 to Phoenix Graphics to print 10,000 Absentee Ballot Applications which were revised to reflect changes in SB293.
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$728.75 to Phoenix Graphics for the Primary Election test deck
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$498.50 to Guardian Alarm for 5 months of monitoring
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$414.47 to Quill for office supplies
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$277.03 io Intab for red security seals
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$233.45 expense reimbursement for the Director’s new election official training
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$204.79 to Verizon Wireless for monthly emergency cell phones
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$63.75 to DEX Imaging for monthly copier contract
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$41.97 staff reimbursement for office supplies
It was noted that BOE continues to incur printing expenses replacing voter registration and voting materials that became obsolete following the passage of SB293. Reviewer Note: SB293 was signed into law in December 2025 and included a number of changes to voter laws in Ohio that took effect on March 20, 2026.
Mr. Plants stated staff were pleased with the instructional videos by CGO ( Creative Government Outreach) but acknowledged the editing process had been lengthier than expected. He explained that with the passage of SB293, the poll pad video also became obsolete. He noted it will not be available to train poll workers for the Primary Election and it will have to be redone, at additional cost, before the General Election in November.
Report from ADP – Mr. Antenucci confirmed that as required by the Secretary of State, the county systems will go into lockdown in late March through the election certification.
Mrs. Carson expressed concern that the building is completely open during early voting and inquired whether the elevators could be programmed to limit access. Mr. Antenucci stated the elevators cannot be programmed in this way. Mr. Weigle said signage will direct people to the BOE offices.
Report from BOCC Maintenance - Mr. Weigle reported:
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Electrical Work - Several outlets were relocated in the BOE programming room.
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Ballot Box - The walk up/drive-up ballot box has been installed. The large banner that hangs from the building directing voters to the ballot box will be hung as soon as it is supplied to him.
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470 Center Street Garage - He needs guidance regarding disposal of BOE items that were not moved to the new location.
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Fire Drill/Evacuation Plan - He is working with the Department of Emergency Services to develop a building wide evacuation plan. Each agency will be responsible for drafting their internal policy and he will supply a template to BOE. A walk-through evacuation was planned for BOE the following week.
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Early Voting Line Management - He is working on a plan for early voting line management. He noted his original plan was not ADA compliant so he is considering alternate ideas. He wants something in place by March 20.
Observer Note: This Observer participated in the walk through evacuation for BOE staff that took place on March 25, 2026. Outstanding concerns expressed to Mr. Weigle and to Mark Jimison, Assistant County Administrator, include planning for evacuation of those with mobility issues from the BOE’s basement location as well as from the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building. Mr. Weigle also presented the plan for managing long early voting lines, a task complicated by the narrow basement corridor and small BOE lobby. He will explore ADA compliant ways to provide seating to accommodate voters with mobility issues.
May Primary Election Update - For the reader’s reference, many of the items discussed in this section refer to Secretary of State Directive 2026-02, Implementation of Substitute Senate Bill 293
In addition to the items already discussed, Mr. Plants reported:
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Absentee Voting - In response to SB 293, new absentee voting return envelopes were produced that reflect the requirements for non-UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act) ballots to reach the BOE no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
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New Election Official Training - He attended this training, which is mandated by the Secretary of State. He expressed concern about new, sometimes complex requirements for poll workers to screen for non-citizen voters. Observer Note: Although voter registration records are public information, documents confirming citizenship are not. Under SB293, Geauga BOE must take steps to safeguard this information.
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Voter Registration Data Mismatches - As mandated by SoS Directive 4.09, Bureau of Motor Vehicle Voter Registration Transactions, 53 letters were sent to Geauga voters notifying them of the need to address voter registration data mismatches using Form 10-C, Vote Information Confirmation Notice.
Mr. Plants explained that these voters have been placed in “Confirmation” status pending correction of the data mismatch identified by the SoS. These voters may be required to vote using a provisional ballot according to this time table:
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If corrected more than 14 days prior to Election Day, the voter status is updated to “Active” and the voter will use a regular ballot.
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If corrected within 14 days of Election Day the voter will remain in “Confirmation” status and will be required to vote using a provisional ballot. The voter must correct their voter registration mismatch no later than 4 days following the election.
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If not corrected, any provisional ballot cast will be rejected AND under SB293, the voter’s registration will be automatically canceled.
Uncertainty was expressed about whether the new SB 293 cancellation requirement applied to voters who failed to respond prior to the 14 day deadline. If canceled, these voters would have no opportunity to re-register, given that Ohio requires voters to register no later than 30 days prior to Election Day. The board and staff agreed the guidance from SoS was unclear.
Observer Note: The requirement to cancel the voter’s registration is new under SB293.
In the past, provisional voters who failed to provide required information within 4 days following Election Day had their ballots canceled. Provisional voters may also have their ballot canceled if they make a “fatal” error completing their provisional ballot envelope. Fatal errors include omitting, transposing or otherwise erring in providing the voter’s name, signature, address or date of birth. This differs from the standard used for evaluating returned absentee ballot envelopes, where the Board may accept a ballot if a preponderance of the evidence allows them to determine the voter’s identity.
Campaign Finance/Ohio Elections Integrity Commission - This section refers to Secretary of State Directive 2026-17, Ohio Election Integrity Commission and Election Integrity Unit. Observer Note: Formerly an independent commission, the Ohio Election Integrity Commission is now housed within the Office of the Secretary of State. The Commission consists of a five-member bipartisan team appointed by the Secretary of State and the majority and minority leadership of the General Assembly. Reviewer Note: The Secretary of State announced the inaugural meeting of the Commission on January 6, 2026 and the members of the Commission who will serve 5-year terms. The 5-member Board is composed of 3 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
Mr. Daisher informed the Board they have not received a campaign finance report from the Geauga Children & Family Service Levy. Numerous attempts have been made to contact the Treasurer and a certified letter sent to the campaign mailing address was returned unsigned.
The board opted to send a letter to the campaign’s home address. If the issue is not subsequently corrected, they will file a complaint with the Ohio Election Integrity Commission for further action.
Rideshare Policy - The board approved the policy, drafted by staff, allowing use of rideshare options when traveling on BOE business. The policy is subject to review by their counsel at the Geauga Prosecutor’s Office.
Ohio Election Law Continuing Legal Education - Board voted 4-0 to cover registration and related expenses for this July 15 training.
2026 Ohio Association of Election Officials (OAEO) Summer Conference - Mrs. McGinnis confirmed the conference will be held on June 8-9, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.
Director’s Report - Tyler Plants reported:
Deputy Director’s Report - Nora McGinnis reported:
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She completed annual reports as required by the Secretary of State.
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She has been working on the approximately 2,500 letters that will go out to voters flagged by the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) database as possibly needing to update the address on their voter registration.
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She alerted the Board to several power issues during the previous week and will follow up with ADP to ensure they have proper surge protection for equipment.
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Poll worker training and recruitment of subs are on track.
Next Meeting: April 16, 2026 at 9:00 am
Adjournment - 11:50 am
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Carol Benton
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
Date Submitted: April 14, 2026
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