MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Board of Elections recently conducted a special meeting to discuss a number of issues involving write-in candidates for the November ballot.
The BOE received a total of 18 declarations of intent to be write-ins.
After flagging two declarations, the BOE accepted 16 declarations of intent to be a write-in candidate.
Adam Burkam’s declaration was denied for a lack of clarity on the office he was seeking. BOE Chairman Adam Gilson read a portion of Burkam’s declaration, which states, “I possess the necessary qualifications to be a candidate for the office of city council.”
The declaration was denied as Burkam needed to specify that he was running for Mount Vernon City Council’s Second Ward position, not just city council.
Griffin Rothgeb’s declaration to be a candidate for Knox County’s Educational Service Center was also denied.
Rothgeb does not live in the district and was attempting to rerun in the same election, both unacceptable for the BOE.
The 16 write-in candidates’ declarations approved
Below is an alphabetical list of the 16 write-in candidates who had their declarations of intent approved by the BOE, along with the office they are running for:
- Vicki Bechtel – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Kenneth Bosehart – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Philip Brooks – Gambier Council
- Chris Cline – Fredericktown Council
- James DeChant – Berlin Trustee
- Elizabeth Forman – Gambier Council
- Laurie Gallwitz – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Robert Gregg – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Thomas Groshong – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Taylor Jacklin – Mount Vernon City Council Third Ward
- Jim Lenthe – Gambier Council
- Calvin Murphy -Gambier Council
- Rebecca Nourse – Knox County Educational Service Center
- Alan Reed – Mount Vernon City Council At Large
- Jennifer Shoman – Mount Vernon City Council Third Ward
- Gregory Yashnyk – Mount Vernon City Council Third Ward
Dickerson and Hughes
The meeting opened with Peter Dickerson, a trustee of Milford Township, and Jim Hughes, a trustee of Pleasant Township, requesting the BOE reconsider their candidate petitions.
Dickerson and Hughes both stated they made errors when filling out a portion of the petition regarding circulators.
“As a candidate, I personally walked, drove and invited friends to my home to sign,” Dickerson said.
“I did not realize that I was also considered a circulator and that I needed to complete that section differently. This misunderstanding was not an attempt to mislead anyone, merely a misunderstanding of the petition form.”
Like Dickerson, Hughes also did his own circulating and failed to sign the paragraph on the back of his petition as a circulator.
“When I turned it [his candidate petition] in upstairs [at the Knox County BOE] nobody would tell me that I needed to sign that on the back, and I thought I was okay,” Hughes said.
“You’d think by now I’d have figured that out, it’s been 48 years as township trustee. I just simply missed it, so I’d appreciate it if you’d reconsider getting my name back on the ballot.”
Chantele Looney did not attend the meeting, but sent a letter also asking for reconsideration.
The BOE’s decision on candidate petition reconsiderations
After a brief discussion and reviewing mainly the election official manual, the BOE decided not to schedule any further candidate petition reconsideration hearings.
“Under checking part petitions [of the election official manual], it gives the staff the following instructions. ‘Before looking at individual signatures, board employees must, number one, check the circulator statement on the last page,” Gilson said. “Number two, make sure it is properly completed, if not, the entire part petition is invalid.’
“So, I don’t see within the directive that we’re required by law to follow, any room for the board to determine anything other than that those part petitions were invalid.”
The BOE did state that they can see how the forms can be confusing for would-be candidates, but they have to follow what the Secretary of State gives them.
Folks looking to run can also do a training with the BOE to walk through areas that can be confusing, Gilson mentioned. He also stated that the candidate requirement guide is online.
“I would also very much like to see our elected officials in Columbus also address those [candidates’ confusing form issues],” Gilson said.