Geauga County Board of Elections (BOE) - 07/20/2023
Meeting Info: Regular Meeting on July 20, 2023 called to order at 9:03 AM in BOE Conference Room at 470 Center St, Bldg 6A, Chardon, OH, 44024. In-person and virtual, via Microsoft Teams. An agenda was provided in advance. This Observer attended in-person.
Public Comment Policy: No written policy and not listed on agenda. In practice, the Board accepts public comment and addresses questions throughout the meeting.
Board Attendance: Present were Dennis Pavella (Chair), Janet Carson, Nancy McArthur and Joan Windnagel.
Staff Attendance: Geauga BOE Director Michelle Lane and Deputy Director Nora McGinnis; Ohio Secretary of State Liaison ShoMore DeNiro attended virtually.
County Representatives:Auditor Charles E. Walder (virtual)
Public Attendance: One in-person attendee.
Minutes - separate motions were passed for June 29 and July 7, 2023 meeting minutes. Mrs. Carson abstained from voting on the June 29 minute as she was absent.
Bills - an itemized listing of expenditures totaling 38,424.68 was reviewed in detail. More significant items included a $20,770 annual maintenance fee for voting equipment and $4,875.24 for the Secretary of State’s Summer Conference. Board members discussed alternatives to The News Herald subscription, which costs nearly $900 annually.
ADP Briefing - Mr. Walder reported that the new Board of Elections website is up. Board members viewed the website via Mr. Walder’s screen share. There are some remaining issues to work out and he expects BOE staff will have additional requests once they have time to more carefully review the site. Mrs. Lane acknowledged that the unexpected August 8th election had left them with little time for a close review. BOE’s Scott Daisher will communicate directly with ADP’s Frank Antenucci.
Ms. McArthur inquired about the cost for the new website. Mr. Walder stated he will follow up with details but indicated ADP will be able to cover some of the cost.
Mrs. Lane asked if Mr. Walder knew anything about a recently received email from County Administrator Gerry Morgan regarding security cameras at the new county office building. A discussion ensued about BOE’s eventual move to the new location. Mr. Pavella noted they cannot move until after the 2024 Primary Election. Mrs. McArthur said she has relayed that to the County Commissioners. Mr. Walder will follow up with Assistant County Administrator Linda Burhenne regarding the cameras.
August 8th Special Election Update: Mrs. Lane reported:
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Geauga BOE will receive $99,248 to cover the costs of the election
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Activity has been higher than expected
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Over 1,500 voted early in-person the first 7 days of early voting
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Over 4,100 absentee ballot applications were received. 3,904 ballots have been mailed to voters and 2,497 of those have been received back.
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There are 31 polling locations. Burton Village will vote for the first time at the Kent State-Geauga Campus, which is just outside village lines. That location will be re-evaluated after the election.
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Twelve Marshall’s are scheduled to work the election. Poll worker recruitment and training are going well.
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Board will need to schedule an August 9 meeting to approve various reports as specified in Ohio Secretary of State in Directive 2023-13
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Board will also need to schedule a meeting between August 23 and August 29 to complete the Official Canvass for the August 8th Election.
November 7 General Election Update - candidate/issue submission deadline is August 9
Secretary of State Summer Conference Update - Consensus was that the event was poorly run with very limited options for accommodations and dining and no opportunities for engagement with Board of Elections colleagues.
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All were critical of the “Stress Management Panel” which was described as a standard corporate presentation that demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of the stress BOE officials are under.
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There was sarcastic laughter about the panel recommendation to “take vacation.” It was noted that because of the unexpected August 8 election, many staff and board members had been forced to cancel vacation and were instead working evenings and weekends.
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The overlap between the August 8 and Nov 7 was also mentioned, with staff needing to review candidate and issue petitions for the November election at the same time that they are completing the August 8 election reports, processing provisional and absentee ballots and conducting the official canvas.
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Staff and board reported multiple conversations at the conference with peers who are planning to leave the profession.
State Petitions Update - Geauga BOE was required to verify Geauga signatures for both the Reproductive Freedom ballot initiative and the Cannabis ballot initiative. Staff worked evenings and over the weekend to meet the deadline specified in Ohio Secretary of State Directive 2023-14.
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Reproductive Freedom
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Cannabis
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Signatures Submitted
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6,128
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1,284
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Signatures Certified
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5,187
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983
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A staff member is driving the petitions back to the Secretary of State’s office in Columbus, OH.
National Change of Address (NCOA) Update - Mrs. Lane reported that 9,555 letters were mailed to registered voters who are at risk of having their registration canceled for inactivity.
Director’s Report - Mrs. Lane reported:
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There is still no word on funds that were promised by the General Assembly to replace poll pads as mandated by the Secretary of State.
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She is finalizing a request for a new postage meter, and will present a proposal at the next meeting.
Public Comment - during the meeting, this Observer sought clarity on meeting dates for certifying November candidate petitions and for the number of signatures certified for the two November, 2023 statewide ballot issues. Both are reflected in this report.
The meeting adjourned at 10:44 AM.
Next Meeting - Next regular meeting is scheduled for August 17, 2023 at 9:00 AM and will include certification of candidates and issues for the November General Election.
Special meetings are expected for August 8 (Election Day) to open and close the election and take any action necessary to run the election and on August 9 at 10 AM to approve Aug 8 election reports.
Approved Minutes - posted on the BOE website.
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Anne Ondrey
Reviewer: Gail Roussey
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