Election Security a Concern at New Building

August 25, 2022 by Amy Patterson

Geauga County Board of Elections Director Michelle Lane formally requested controlling authority for the keycard system to its proposed office space in the new building, in a letter to commissioners Aug. 22.

“All of the (BOE) equipment must be under a dual-control lock system such that access requires a bipartisan team. The identification of any visitor, vendor or maintenance person must be verified before access is given and any visitors should be monitored at all times,” Lane said. “Having control of the keycard system is not a preference, but a legal requirement being imposed by (Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose).”

Lane and elections board chair Dennis Pavella said in addition to privacy laws, their department must maintain a higher level of security due to those requirements, which, under LaRose, have increased since 2019, they said in an Aug. 23 phone call.

Pavella said voter information can include home addresses, as well as social security numbers, and Lane added while Ohio has demonstrated the security of its elections, the public has shown an increased concern in the integrity of elections.

However, County Administrator Gerry Morgan said in a follow up call Aug. 23 the board of elections will have complete control over doors in their part of the building, as has been discussed all along in the building process.

The BOE lawsuit against county commissioners over issues with the building, filed in May of this year, is still working its way through the court system. The last action in the case came earlier this month, when Geauga County Prosecutor Jim Flaiz filed a motion to be recused from representing county commissioners due to a conflict with his having a seat on the ADP board, whose recent action also involves the BOE.

In Lane’s letter to commissioners, she said the safety, security and access to election facilities, equipment and supplies has become a major topic of discussion nationwide. Should the BOE not control access to its office, rooms and the voting equipment contained within, the potential exists for candidates and outside groups to question the legitimacy of the elections.

While the BOE will not move out of their current space at 470 Center Street until at least the end of this calendar year, Pavella said their current setup — in which the only outside copy of the physical key to the office is kept under high levels of security — means BOE officials and employees may now have more control over access to their space than what they will have at the new building — if mediation does not provide them with exclusive keycard control.

Additionally, rules from LaRose’s office explicitly state the BOE must maintain its own access system, independent of the rest of the county, Pavella said.

A high-profile case last November involving Lake County Commissioner John Hamercheck increases the board’s concerns over limiting who can control access to keycards, Pavella said.

While he has no complaints about the maintenance department or its personnel, the keycard system should be under the control of the ADP board, which has the technical expertise to operate it safely, Pavella said.

“What (Walder) has told us is ADP would be glad to show us how to use the keycard apparatus, how to use it, how to program it and he’d be glad to hand it over to us and let us take care of everything,” Lane said.

The ADP board said they would also provide support if the BOE ran into issues in the future, she said.

“(County) commissioners seem, for some reason, to want to have some kind of control over (keycard access), and it’s just not a good idea for them to be in charge of it,” Pavella added. “Ultimately, you’re going to see ADP get involved anyway, if they have problems.”