Lucas Co elections board cans top 2 administrators

TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) - The Lucas County Board of Elections fired director Linda Howe and deputy director Jeremy Demagall at a special meeting Friday afternoon, one day after the Ohio Secretary of State ordered the terminations.

At issue was the improper counting of 82 provisional ballots during the November 2010 general election.

MORE: Husted wants Lucas Co BOE Howe, Demagall removed
MORE: Lucas County Board of Elections Director and Deputy Director terminated (Toledo Free Press)

Howe, a Democrat, and Demagall, a Republican, were relieved of their duties by a 3-0 vote, with one abstention. Republican board member Ben Marsh, appointed to serve last year by then-Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, told reporters he abstained out of protest. The retired attorney then announced he would resign from the board later this spring.

According to board of elections chairman Patrick Kriner, voters cast a ballot “in the right building but in the wrong precinct.” However, the last four digits of each voter’s Social Security number were not properly listed on the ballot, but were counted anyway.

The board of elections made it very clear they decided with heavy hearts to fire the agency’s top two administrators.

"Because we're not happy with the direction we've been given by the Secretary of State,” explained Kriner. “But nonetheless, as employees of the director of the Secretary of State, we have no choice."

The vote was 3-0-- with one abstention from Republican member Ben Marsh, who, ironically was appointed to the board last year by a former Secretary of State.

"I'm not happy with the situation nor is anybody on this board,” the retired attorney said. “I felt my protest could be shown by abstaining."

Marsh followed that up with the statement he'll resign by the end of May.

Before departing, the former elections director explained why the 82 provisional ballots were counted.

"They went to the right place, they went at the right time, and they were told to go to the wrong table,” said Ms. Howe. “These registered voters -- both Republicans and Democrats -- were entitled to have their votes counted and we counted them. If the Secretary of State wants me not to count their votes-- that's not right, that's wrong. If the same situation were to happen today, I'd do the same thing."

Howe accused Secretary of State Jon Husted of putting a political agenda ahead of the rights of voters. But the board of elections chairman admits the votes were improperly counted on a technicality, because they lacked four digits of a social security number.