Voter group responds to recent vote

TIFFIN — Following guidance from the Ohio Secretary of State's office, the Seneca County Board of Elections will revisit a decision that restricted certain poll workers from leadership roles. The move has drawn attention from local groups, including the Coalition of Concerned Voters of Ohio, an organization that advocates for voting transparency and has questioned the use of electronic voting machines. Earlier this month, the board passed a motion stating that "any active member who is publicly or actively working against the use of voting machines shall be ineligible to serve as Voting Location Manager and shall not be assigned to serve in their home precinct." Precinct Election Officials (PEOs) are registered voters who assist in staffing polling places on Election Day, performing duties such as opening and closing sites, checking in voters and assisting with ballot processing. The restriction does not apply to all PEOs but specifically to Voting Location Managers, who supervise polling sites, direct other election officials and ensure procedures are followed. "No one was excluded from serving as a PEO … but leadership roles were limited to those not actively opposing the voting system itself," Director Lori Elchert explained. The board initially defended the policy as a compromise but agreed to revisit it after intervention from state officials. On Sept. 10, Chris Burnett, director of elections and deputy assistant secretary of state, informed the board that the restriction was inconsistent with Ohio law. "Affiliation with a group whose ideology differs from that of the board is not grounds for prohibiting individuals from fulfilling their civic duty," Burnett wrote. He noted that state law requires boards to evaluate poll workers individually and does not permit categorical bans. Burnett's letter referenced CCVO, although the board's motion did not mention any organization by name. At the same meeting, the board approved a separate motion reinforcing standards for poll worker conduct. It requires training to emphasize bipartisan cooperation and neutrality and allows removal of poll workers from future service if substantiated violations occur. CCVO response CCVO co-director Tim Stechschulte said the group seeks to allow voters to decide whether to continue using voting machines or return to hand-counted ballots. "We're not trying to overturn elections," Stechschulte said. "We're asking for transparency and for citizens to have a voice in how elections are conducted." He added that CCVO's petition in Seneca County, which exceeded the required number of signatures, was rejected because state law does not allow petitions to reverse prior adoption of voting machines. Under state law, counties may adopt voting machines through a specific ballot question: "Shall voting machines, marking devices, and automatic tabulating equipment be adopted in the county of _________?" A recent advisory from the Secretary of State's office clarified that this language applies only to adopting machines, not repealing prior adoptions. The advisory noted that election officials must follow the law as written, regardless of arguments for or against the use of voting machines. Next step The Seneca County Board of Elections will revisit the motion at its Sept. 23 meeting at 1:30 p.m. at the board office. The meeting is open to the public.