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BOE Director Reports Electioneering Incident & Aggression Toward Election Officials

Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) Regular Meeting - April 16, 2026

Meeting Info - Regular Meeting on April 16, 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:

• Board Chair - Dennis Pavella

• Board Member - Richard Piraino 

• Board Member - Joan Windnagel

• Board Member - Janet Carson

• Director - Tyler Plants

• Deputy Director - Nora McGinnis

• Office Administrator - Scott Daisher

County Representatives: In person, from Automated Data Processing (ADP), Frank Antenucci, Deputy Chief Administrator & Chief Information Security Officer, and Joe Birli, Deputy Director of Advanced Research and Cybersecurity; From the Commissioners’ Office, Mark Jimison, Assistant County Administrator, and Ron Weigle, Maintenance Director.

Others: Online, one member of the public and Ohio Secretary of State (SoS) Regional Liaison Dustin

Russell. In person, one member of the public and this Observer.

Call to Order - The meeting was called to order shortly after 9:00 am.

 

Minutes - Minutes for the Regular Meeting on March 19, 2026 were approved without edits.

Payment of Bills - Invoices totaling $39,554.93 were approved unanimously and included:

• $17,238.00 to Phoenix Graphics for May 5, 2026 Primary Election Day ballots

• $7,974.74 to Graphic Village for provisional and absentee envelopes, updated to reflect SB 293

• $4,300.00 to Ohio Secretary of State, returning unused grant funds

• $3,900.00 to B Fink Consulting for Nov 2025 General Election chargeback report

• $1,952.77 to Triad for National Change of Address (NCOA) mailing and Primary Election accessible ballot conversion

• $1,641.26 to KMI Printing for postcards notifying of changes in polling location, envelopes

• $733.35 to Karlovec Media, Chagrin Valley Times and The News Herald for primary election notices and voter info ads

• $470.61 to Quill and Uline for office supplies

• $467.01 to ES&S for Balotar supplies (prints ballots for verified citizens voting early in-person at BOE or by mail)

• $450.00 to Quadient for quarterly maintenance/rental of postage meter

• $204.71 to Verizon Wireless for monthly emergency cell phones

• $156.45 staff expense reimbursement for mileage and supplies

• $66.03 to DEX Imaging for monthly copier contract

Report from BOCC Maintenance - Mr. Weigle reported:

• Insurance - to ensure proper coverage, he requested information about the employees who drive the county truck that BOE sometimes uses.  

• Fire Drill/Evacuation Plan - The practice drill went well and good suggestions were made for improvement.

• New Work Order System - He is implementing a new system to facilitate timely response to agency needs.  The Director, Deputy Director and Office Administrator were identified as staff permitted to initiate a ticket.

• Early Voting Line Management - Early voting has been slow so he has not been able to evaluate the effectiveness of the queuing design.  Mr. Pavella said it will be much busier during the final week of early voting when BOE hours are extended.

Mrs. Carson said several older individuals had expressed concern about the stairs leading down to the BOE’s basement offices. She asked Mr. Weigle to consider installing a center railing to improve safety.

Mr. Piraino and Mrs. Carson both requested improvements in signage at Ravenwood/Route 44 and Ravenwood/Aquilla Road. The permanent signs recently installed do not list the Board of Elections.

Mrs. Windnagel expressed the Board’s appreciation for Mr. Weigle’s efforts, noting that he has been very good about following through on issues.

Report from ADP –  Mr. Antenucci reported that lockdown is going smoothly and that ADP will be ready to support BOE on election day with 3 teams providing all day coverage.

He referred to an exchange at the recent LWV Geauga Candidate Forum, saying he wanted to state on the record that the BOE manages the election and that ADP’s role is to provide technical support. He wanted to be clear that ADP does not handle or tabulate ballots. Reviewer Note: The full video of the LWV Geauga April 9 Candidate Forum is available here. The exchange mentioned by Mr. Antenucci was in response to a question about ADP’s role in safeguarding elections and can be seen in the video starting at about 1:56:16.  

Executive Session: - At 9:26 am the Board voted to enter executive session under ORC 121.22(G)(6) for the purpose of discussing security.  In addition to the Board members, Director Plants and Deputy Director McGinnis, Mr. Pavella invited Frank Antenucci, Joe Birli, Rob Weigle and Scott Daisher to participate.

The Board returned to regular session at 10:02 am and unanimously authorized ADP to solicit quotes for agreed upon physical and cybersecurity upgrades.

Campaign Finance/Ohio Elections Integrity Commission - Mr. Plants provided an update on the campaign finance report from the Geauga Children & Family Service Levy, stating it still has not been received. Numerous attempts have been made to contact the Treasurer, with certified letters sent to both the campaign and home address. With a unanimous vote, the Board instructed Mr. Plants to file a complaint with the Ohio Election Integrity Commission.  Observer Note: Formerly an independent commission, the Ohio Election Integrity Commission is now housed within the Office of the Secretary of State. See Secretary of State Directive 2026-17, Ohio Election Integrity Commission and Election Integrity Unit for more information.

Chargebacks - Mr. Plants shared the report prepared by B Fink Consulting, which apportions about $153,000 of election expenses among Geauga’s political subdivisions, for reimbursement to BOE.

Mr. Russell arrived during this discussion around 10:10 am.

Budget Hearing - Mr. Plants indicated this is tentatively scheduled for May 19, 2026 at 1:25 pm. Mr. Pavella and one other Board member will also attend.  Mrs. Carson expressed concern about the timing, given that they will be busy with post-election work. Mr. Daisher expressed confidence that staff will have adequate time to process provisional and late arriving Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots.

Reallocation of Voting Equipment/Ballots - No adjustments recommended, per Mr. Plants.

Canvas/Certification - Secretary of State Directive 2026-22 specifies post election actions and deadlines.  The Board voted 4-0 to conduct the certification of the vote during the regularly scheduled meeting on May 21, 2026 at 9:00 am.

Uncertainty About Handling of Certain Ohio BMV Mismatches - For reference, this section refers to Secretary of State Directive 2026-02, Implementation of Substitute Senate Bill 293 and Secretary of State Directive 4.09, Bureau of Motor Vehicle Voter Registration Transactions  Observer Note: The Secretary of State partners with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and Social Security Administration to verify voter registration. Registrations that differ from these databases are sent to the county BOEs for clarification or updating. 

Mr. Plants updated the Board about a regional meeting of BOE Directors that was recently called to address concerns about unclear and sometimes contradictory guidance from the Secretary of State’s office. Per Mr. Plants, those attending represented about 25% of Ohio voters. The group discussed differing interpretations of drivers license and social security number (SSN) data mismatches identified by the Secretary of State. 

He described a scenario where a mismatch exists between the drivers license number reported on a voter registration application and the number on file with BMV.  Such voters are placed in “Confirmation” status pending correction of the mismatch. If the individual does not correct the mismatch 14 days prior to Election Day or earlier, they will be required to vote a provisional ballot. 

Observer Note: Voting provisionally requires that the voter 1) complete their ballot, then 2) complete a special provisional ballot affirmation envelope that includes the voter’s name, address, date of birth, Ohio driver’s license or state ID#, last four digits of their SSN, and signature.  The completed ballot is sealed inside the provisional ballot affirmation envelope for later processing by BOE staff. The information on the provisional envelope acts as a voter registration form and is used by staff to update the voter’s registration.  Voters have until 4 days following Election Day to “cure” the deficiency that led to them voting provisionally. If not cured, their ballots will be rejected and their registration will potentially be canceled.

Mr. Plants explained that the SoS guidance instructs BOEs to accept a provisional ballot where a drivers license mismatch exists and the voter supplied their DOB and last 4 digits of their SSN on the provisional envelope, but not the drivers license number.  Per Mr. Plants, the guidance instructs BOEs to then cancel the voter’s registration. Further, the guidance instructs BOEs not to use the provisional envelope to register the voter.  

• Board members described acceptance of the ballot while subsequently canceling the voter’s registration as “illogical.”

• Mr. Daisher said not using the provisional envelope to register the voter was a departure from normal procedure.

• Mrs. Carson expressed concern that the new BMV mismatch provisions may lead to thousands of voters across Ohio having their votes and registration canceled.  She requested more information about the number of voters statewide identified as having mismatches with the BMV database.

Mr. Russell pointed out the process did not actually correct the mismatch and would potentially place the voter in a “mismatch loop.” He opined that County Prosecutors act as resources for the BOE and should be called upon to interpret the SoS guidance.  Mr. Pavella said he prefers to receive clarification from the Secretary of State.  Mr. Russell said he will request more information about the number of voters flagged as BMV mismatches and indicated he would discuss the issue further with his colleagues at the SoS office.

Ohio Election Law Continuing Legal Education - Staff provided a reminder for this training.

2026 Ohio Association of Election Officials (OAEO) Summer Conference - The Board voted 4-0 to cover expenses for this conference, which will be held on June 8-9, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. 

Director’s Report - Tyler Plants reported:

• Early in-person voting has been slow, although they expect the numbers to increase during the last week before Election Day when hours are expanded.

• He has been informed that BOCC is expanding available parking.  He noted that building employees have been parking farther from the building to accommodate voters.

• Polling locations for the Primary Election have been provided to the Sheriff’s office.

• Following the practice fire drill, they developed additional internal procedures to safeguard ballots and DS200 scanner data. Further, they attended a meeting hosted by the County Administrator that discussed strategies for aiding members of the public requiring assistance to evacuate the building.  

• Bainbridge Township has appointed Matthew Domonkos as Fiscal Officer, replacing Janice Sugarman, who recently retired.

Deputy Director’s Report - Nora McGinnis reported:

• She is making arrangements for Election Day Marshalls and expects the number of Marshalls to be consistent with prior elections.

• Poll worker training has been going well.

• Absentee ballots are being returned at a good rate.

• They need more Republican substitute poll workers

Electioneering Incident/Aggression Toward Election Officials - Mr. Plants informed the Board that on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, he received a report that a car with campaign signs covering its windshield was parked within the 100 foot perimeter where campaigning is prohibited. He and Mrs. McGinnis immediately investigated the allegation and located the described vehicle.  Observer Note: Ohio law prohibits election campaigning within 100 feet of a polling place entrance. The Geauga Board of Elections is a polling place during early voting and campaigning is prohibited within 100 feet of the Geauga County Office Building (GCOB) entrance.

In the GCOB lobby area, Mr. Plants and Mrs. McGinnis confronted the owner of the car, described as an older man with white hair, who was accompanied by a second man. Both men were known to Mr. Plants and Mrs. McGinnis as Geauga residents. They informed the owner he needed to relocate his car to a space outside of the 100 foot perimeter. The second man insisted the Director was incorrect, asserting he was misinterpreting the law.  The owner of the car became belligerent, yelling at the election officials, throwing his car keys at Mr. Plants and telling him to move the car himself. 

Mr. Plants and Mrs. McGinnis contacted Kristen Rine, BOE’s legal counsel at the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office.  She confirmed their understanding of the law, instructed them to obtain photographs of the vehicle and to provide information about the two men. Mr. Plants indicated the incident was captured on a building security camera and was witnessed by the on-duty Geauga Deputy, who declined to intervene because he recognized the car owner as being a Veteran.

The Board directed Mr. Plants to prepare a detailed written incident report. 

Next Meeting: May 5, 2026 at 6:15 am until unofficial election results are declared that night 

May 21, 2026 at 9:00 am for regular business and election certification

Adjournment - 11:44 a.m.

Observer: Shelly Lewis

Editor: Rooney Moy

Reviewer: Sarah McGlone 

Date Submitted: April 17, 2026

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.