Friday, August 24, 2012
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted has reinstated temporarily two Democratic members of the Montgomery County Board of Elections who are facing possible removal after refusing to follow a directive prohibiting early voting on weekends.
Tom Ritchie Sr. and Dennis Lieberman were notified of the reinstatement in a letter from Husted on Thursday, allowing the Dayton-area board to complete other tasks.
“With two of the four members suspended, they don’t have a quorum,” said Matt McClellan, Husted’s spokesman.
The decision means Ritchie and Lieberman will return to the elections board to complete a canvass of the Aug. 7 special election, certifications for the general election and other statutory duties that can’t wait.
The two were at Husted’s office in Columbus on Monday for a hearing to determine whether they should be removed from their posts. A hearing officer is expected to offer a recommendation on the matter before the end of the week, with Husted making the final decision thereafter.
Husted issued a directive last week ordering all county elections boards to offer early, in-person voting during regular weekday business hours specified by the state, with no Saturday or Sunday polls.
But Lieberman and Ritchie said the wording of the directive did not specifically prohibit weekend hours, and they backed a motion during their county elections board meeting to keep Saturday and Sunday hours.
If Husted moves ahead with their removal, the Montgomery County Democratic Party will have to offer recommendations for their replacements.
“We’ll wait and see what the [hearing officer’s] report says and probably address that process once the secretary makes that decision,” McClellan said.