Franklin County Board of Elections will not investigate prosecutor candidate's residency

Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·3 min read
Anthony Pierson, deputy chief counsel in retiring Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack's office, spoke on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Franklin County Democratic Executive Committee Meeting ahead of the vote on endorsements in the prosecutor's race. The committee decided not to endorse Pierson or the two other Democratic candidates at the urging of the Columbus NAACP and others. The race is historic as all three Democratic candidates are Black.

The Franklin County Board of Elections has decided not to investigate whether a county prosecutor candidate lives in the county after a local community group raised concerns, citing reporting by The Dispatch that he owns a house with his wife in Delaware County.

Aaron Sellers, a spokesperson for the county Board of Elections, told The Dispatch on Monday that the office reviewed and would not take any action on the complaint made about a week ago by Ramon Obey II, co-founder of the community group Justice, Unity and Social Transformation (JUST).

A letter to Obey signed by county Elections Director Antone White stated:

"Mr. (Anthony) Pierson’s (candidate) petitions were deemed valid and sufficient by the Board of Elections, and he was certified to appear on the March 19, 2024 Democratic Party primary ballot on Jan. 2, 2024. The deadline for protests against partisan candidate petitions was Jan. 5, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. No valid protests were filed against Mr. Pierson’s petitions by the deadline."

The Dispatch first reported on Dec. 7, 2023 that Pierson, deputy chief counsel in retiring Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack's office, owns a house in Lewis Center in Delaware County with his wife.

Pierson transferred his voter registration to a Columbus condo he owns in October 2022, but listed the Lewis Center house as his mailing address with the Franklin County elections board. Pierson's wife remains registered to vote in Delaware County. Neighbors of Pierson's Columbus condo, shown a photo of Pierson, told The Dispatch they had not seen Pierson there.

In his request to the elections board, Obey, on behalf of JUST, repeatedly cited The Dispatch's reporting, saying it "raised significant concerns regarding the residency of Franklin County Prosecutor candidate Anthony Pierson."

"We urge the Board to consider all relevant factors, including voting history, property ownership, tax records, and all other pertinent information to determine his eligibility to run for the office of Franklin County Prosecutor. ... The integrity of our electoral process is paramount, and we believe that this investigation is essential for maintaining public confidence in our democratic systems," the request stated.

The Franklin County Board of Elections only considered Obey's letter an informal complaint about Pierson's residency, not a formal challenge to his petition or voter registration, which would require paperwork, according to BOE Director Antone White.

In addition to challenging a candidate's petition, under Ohio law, any "qualified elector," or voter, can challenge another voter's right to vote in the county up until 30 days before the election using a form created by the Ohio Secretary of State.

Nobody filed that form, according to White. White served on the screening committee for the Franklin County Democratic Party that recommended Pierson receive the party's endorsement.

On Thursday, Pierson failed to secure the endorsement of the county Democratic party ahead of the March primary, when he will face two fellow Democrats: Columbus City Councilmember Shayla Favor and Delaware City Attorney Natalia Harris, who lives in Franklin County.

In a close vote, Pierson did not get enough votes for endorsement from the Franklin County Democratic Executive Committee despite the screening committee recommending him. The Columbus NAACP and others, including Favor, urged the executive committee to let the voters decide in what is a historic race among three Black candidates for the Democratic nomination.

A spokesperson for the Ohio Secretary of State said the decision on whether to allow a candidate on the ballot primarily rests with the county elections boards.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Board of Elections won't probe candidate's residency