Stark Board of Elections to investigate ballot shortages for Issue 1 vote

CANTON ‒ The Stark County Board of Elections is reviewing why some polling locations ran out of smart cards during Tuesday's special election.

The board issued a statement Tuesday night saying that the large turnout resulted in some having to use paper ballots. The problem created long lines at some locations, leading voting advocacy groups to worry that voters who left the lines would not be able to cast their ballots before the polls closed.

Regine Johnson, deputy director of the Stark County Board of Elections, said officials will look into any reports of irregularities and work to resolve issues they find.

"Our staff is taking notes from all the voters that might call in, and we are talking to all of the election day technicians who go out into the field and deal with a number of these problems and to the voting location managers," she said.

Johnson said polling places were instructed to notify the county board when they started running low on cards so that the board could create more and send them out. Polling locations were also allowed to use paper ballots if voter turnout was high.

Stark's voter turnout was "through the roof," she said.

Unofficial election results show Stark County had a turnout of 38.65% or 94,839 votes. That doesn't include provisional ballots, late arriving absentees or ballots coming in from military voters or those living abroad.

It was a large jump from the 5.76% turnout the county saw during last year's August election, but lower than the 54.44% turnout for the general election in November 2022.

Johnson declined to name any specific polling locations affected by the ballot shortage issue. She said the board cannot be certain what locations were impacted until it investigates more.

In its initial statement, the board said it was confident that everyone was able to cast their ballot.

A spokesperson for Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote in an email that the office remained in close communication with the county board throughout election night.

Issue 1 was rejected by Ohio voters, including those in Stark County. It failed by a vote of 49,363 to 44,702 in the county, according to unofficial results. If approved, the issue would have required 60% of voters to pass a constitutional amendment instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one.

League of Women Voters of Ohio: multiple reports about ballot shortage in Stark

Nazek Hapasha, policy affairs manager for the League of Women Voters of Ohio, said the agency received its first report about ballot shortages at Stark County polling locations around 5 p.m. Tuesday. The League of Women Voters operates a hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) that voters can call or text to ask questions about registration deadlines, voting early in person or absentee or to report problems on Election Day.

Hapasha said the organization received multiple reports about ballot shortages at least five polling locations in the county, including Mt. Pleasant Church, North Canton Civic Center, Grace United Church of Christ, Jackson Township Town Hall building and a Nimishillen Township location.

She said she heard from voters that different messaging was communicated at different polling locations. Some voters said poll workers told them they didn't know if or when their location would be receiving more ballots, Hapasha said, and others reported being told their location wasn't checking in more voters.

Stark was the only county where the League of Women Voters of Ohio received reports about this problem, Hapasha said.

She said the League of Women Voters of Ohio will continue to urge boards of elections across the state to be more prepared for large turnouts, as well as advocate for the state to equip county boards with the necessary resources to support elections. She spoke to a number of boards of elections across the state prior to Aug. 8, she said, and heard a wide range of predictions regarding turnout.

"I was hearing reports ranging from 8 to 50%," she said.

Hapasha encouraged voters to use the nonpartisan election protection hotline as the information reported helps the organization with its efforts to make improvements to elections.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark BOE investigates following ballot shortages at polling locations