LISBON Board errs; company appeals

An elections worker miscalculated the number of signatures needed.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- A mistake by the Columbiana County Board of Elections could keep a proposed liquor option off the November ballot.
Doss Petroleum of Poland has filed a lawsuit to force the elections board to put the issue before voters.
Elections Director John Payne said Friday, "An error was made on our part."
The company wanted a vote to allow regular and Sunday liquor sales at its station at 3952 state Route 7 in Fairfield Township's Center Precinct.
But the board removed the option from the ballot last week, saying the petitions did not have enough valid signatures.
The company's lawyer, Donald J. McTigue of Columbus, asked the 7th District Court of Appeals to reverse that decision.
To get the issue on the ballot, the company, by law, formally asked the elections board to determine the number of signatures needed. The board told the company it needed the signatures of 82 precinct voters. The board normally tells people who circulate petitions to get extra signatures because some likely will be invalid.
Miscalculation
The company got 95 signatures, 92 of which are valid. But the company actually needs 96 valid signatures. The number of valid signatures is 35 percent of those in the precinct who voted in the 2002 governor's race.
Payne said an unidentified elections worker made a math error.
The director said there is still time to place the issue before voters if ordered to by a court. But Payne said another error in the paperwork may keep the issue off the ballot. He declined to give specifics.
Payne said that Doss also could wait and circulate petitions for the liquor options next year.
Last week the board dropped three other liquor options from the ballot that did not have enough valid signatures. Those totals were calculated properly, Payne said.
wilkinson@vindy.com