Unofficial Canvass Summary Report for 2020 Primary Election now available Adams County People’s Defender
LOCAL NEWS
4,263 (25.71%) of 16,579 registered voters cast ballots; COVID-19 affects turnout BY AUSTIN RUST PEOPLE'S DEFENDER
On March 16, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton, M.D., MPH, issued a public health order to close polling locations in Ohio on Tuesday, March 17, to avoid harmful spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Absentee ballots requested for this election date were collected and sealed, per directives from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. In Ohio House Bill 197, passed into law on March 27 by Governor Mike DeWine, election provisions extended the period for absentee voting by mail in the March 17, 2020 Primary Election until 7:30 p.m. on April 28, 2020, allowing electors who were registered to vote by the Feb. 18, 2020 deadline and had not already voted in this election to cast their ballots. On Election Day, limited in-person voting was available to individuals with qualifying disabilities or who could not receive mail. Local unofficial results for this election (tabulated from absentee ballots cast March 17 and April 28) are now available at the Adams County Board of Elections. Adams County Board of Elections Director Stephanie Lewis explained that the official canvass, which will include provisional ballots into the results, begins May 11 in Adams County. “What we have left (to count) is just outstanding absentee ballots that are postmarked from April 27, and we also have provisional ballots that will be reviewed then,” said Director Lewis. When asked if she thought changes to the procedure in this election (i.e., limited in-person voting and required absentee voting by mail) had affected voter turnout, Director Lewis replied: “For a presidential primary, I think the number’s pretty low. In the 2016 presidential primary election, I think our total voter turnout was maybe just under 7,600, so (at 4,263 ballots cast this year) it’s quite a difference this time around.” According to official results, there were 16,370 residents of Adams County registered to vote in the 2016 Primary Election; with 7,600 votes, about ~46% of registered voters cast their ballots in 2016. In comparison, there were 16,579 residents of Adams County registered to vote in the 2020 Primary Election, and 4,263 (~25%) cast their ballots. In terms of collecting and counting ballots this year, Director Lewis explained that: “The biggest difference is that we didn’t have polling locations across the county, which would normally have to bring in USB drives filled with data. Basically, our Board processed and scanned all day long, and when the state closed polls, we were able to go ahead and start that tabulation process, so it did speed that process up. There was just a lot more handling of the mail ballots. I think the Board ended up having to work about three days trying to get all of the ballots opened
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up, scanned, and ready for election night.” Director Lewis added that volunteer poll workers were not used in this process, and Adams County Board of Election staff were able to handle the work required. Director Lewis concluded: “I don’t know about results, but I do think the changes in procedure for this election affected overall turnout. A lot of people didn’t want to go through the process of requesting a form, then filling that out to request a ballot, so I think that did prevent a lot of people from voting this time around because a lot of them are used to just going to the polls, walking in, and being done; this procedure was a little bit lengthier - it took a little bit longer to do - and we had several that didn’t meet the deadlines because they didn’t know the process. It’s not a new process. We’ve always done absentee voting by mail like this, but with it just being absentee only, I think that was a big change for people. The ones who do absentee voting by mail really like it, but there are others who just haven’t had any experience with voting that way.” The local Unofficial Canvass Summary Report for the 2020 Primary Election states that: In Adams County, 857 (56.27%) of 1,523 Democratic Party-registered voters cast their ballots in the Democratic Party Presidential Primary. Candidate Joseph R. Biden, Jr. received 620 votes, at roughly 72% of the total; Bernie Sanders received 108 votes; Michael R. Bloomberg received 33 votes; Elizabeth Warren received 21 votes; and Pete Buttigieg received 10 votes. In Adams County, 3,400 (63.06%) of 5,392 Republican Party-registered voters cast their ballots in the Republican Party Presidential Primary. The sole candidate, incumbent President Donald J. Trump, received 3,102 votes, with 3,055 votes for Ohio 2nd Congressional District delegates. In the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 2nd Congressional District race, Democratic Party candidate Jaime M. Castle (D) received 646 votes. Incumbent U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup (R) received 3,042 votes, and H. Robert Harris (R) received 193 votes. In the State Senator for Ohio’s 14th State Senate District race, Demoratic Party candidate Ryan Ottney (D) received 660 votes. Incumbent State Senator Terry Johnson (R) received 2,894 votes, and David Uible (R) received 283 votes. In this Primary Election, no valid petition was filed by a Democratic Party-registered candidate for the Adams County Commissioner term ending January 2, 2021. According to the unofficial canvass summary report, incumbent Adams County Commissioner Teresa Diane Ward received 1,682 votes, and challenger Dane R. Clark received 1,611 votes. The final (official) count of all provisional and outstanding absentee ballots will determine who has won the election.
Adams County Commissioner Teresa Diane Ward has not released a statement on the election results at this time, due to the above circumstances, and awaits the official canvass results. Candidate for Adams County Commissioner Dane R. Clark provided the following statement: “Our entire campaign team ran a great race. I can’t thank the group that supported me and all of the voters enough. I think we had a good platform for the county. Now, we have just got to gather around. We’ve got to forget each others’ agendas, and get behind this we’ve got to rally Adams County. The clock is ticking. We’ve got to turn Adams County around and make things happen.” When asked if he thought changes to this year’s voting procedures had affected election results, Clark explained: “I don’t think it was good fortune, but I can’t say that it was bad. I will say that for voters at large, the absentee ballot route, with no in-person voting, was probably not the best thing that ever happened. It’s what it was, (but) let’s just hope it doesn’t happen anymore.” In this Primary Election, no valid petition was filed by a Democratic Party-registered candidate for the Adams County Commissioner term ending January 3, 2021. According to the unofficial canvass summary report, incumbent Adams County Commissioner Barbara Moore received 2,157 votes, and challenger Troy L. Dotson received 1,148 votes. Adams County Commissioner Barbara Moore provided the following statement: "I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my service as County Commissioner to the people of Adams County. Adams County faces some challenges but we also have tremendous opportunities. I'll continue my work standing up for local families and work hard to make a difference. Thanks to the voters that made this victory possible." In the race for Adams County Clerk of Courts, no valid petition was filed by a Democratic Party registered candidate for the position. Incumbent Adams County Clerk of Courts Larry Heller (R) received 1,932 votes. Challenger Holly Johnson (R) received 783 votes, and challenger Helen Cluxton Williams (R) received 569 votes. Candidate for Adams County Clerk of Courts Holly Johnson issued the following statement to the Defender: “I want to thank all of you that supported and voted for me during this primary election. The citizens of Adams County have always been an inspiration to me that fuels my passion for our county. I will continue to serve you with heart, integrity and vigor. Congratulations, Larry Heller! “Do I think if the election would have happened in March would things be different? We cannot change the outcome. But we can be thankful for the journey and prepare for the future.” Candidate for Adams County Clerk of Courts
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Helen Cluxton Williams provided this statement: “I would like to thank all my supporters for their votes and help with my campaign. This was my first time running for office, and while there were a few negative points, overall I enjoyed the experience and enjoyed meeting some very good people.” “One negative point in particular, was the amount of money some campaigns spend here at local level. I spent very conservatively and I believe there should be a spending cap on any campaign to level the playing field for people who don't have $10,000 or more to spend on a primary election. I will be contacting our legislators about this issue.” When asked if she thought changes to this year’s voting procedures had affected election results, Williams explained her concerns regarding the shift to required mail-in (or absentee) voting: “I am concerned about the mail-in voting process. While those who are familiar with the absentee voting process would find it easy, those who have never done it before were frustrated and confused. I spoke with a few voters who tried mail-in voting for the first time. They thought their ballots were on the way because they went to the Ohio Secretary of State website and completed a registration form. These requests were only for the registration forms, not the actual ballot, and those requests were completed online on and before April 15, but they did not receive the form until late or some not at all. Another voter never received a ballot because of an error on his registration form. While I do agree that there needs to be rules regarding the registration forms and absentee voting, this is an example of a voter who did not have the opportunity to vote because inperson voting would have avoided this issue. Other voters who did not receive ballots went to the election office to vote in person, but because of the new mail in voting rules, they were informed there was no in-person voting. Again, these are issues that need to be brought to the attention of our legislators. Overall, I am sure the turnout was influenced by the threat of the virus, many are concerned about their health, employment, and businesses so voting was not at the top of their priorities during this time.” In the race for the position of Adams County Recorder, incumbent Recorder Mark A. Tolle (D) received 772 votes, and challenger Chris Moore (R) received 2,425 votes. Candidate for Adams County Recorder Chris Moore provided the following statement: "I am very excited with the support of my candidacy for County Recorder in this primary election. The results clearly show a desire for a new generation of leadership in the County Recorder's office and I represent the conservative values that Adams County residents deserve. Over the coming months, I'll be talking to voters one on one about the changes I plan
PUBLIC NOTICES
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 • 15
Mark Tolle
Teresa Diane Ward
Barbara Moore
Larry Heller
Chris Moore
to make in the office and how we can better serve the people of Adams County." In the village of West Union, a proposed tax levy to fund firefighting and emergency medical services (EMS) at a rate of 3.5 mills for a duration of five years was put to a vote, but did not pass. Of 445 total votes cast, 154 were for (in support of) the levy, and 264 were against the levy. To view the complete unofficial results of the 2020 Primary Election in Adams County, complete with vote counts, visit the Adams County Board of Elections’ website. These results, along with the results of past elections, are found at the following page: https://www.boe.ohio.gov /adams/election-info/election-night-results/. The final unofficial results have also been made available in the hallway of the Adams County Government Center located outside of the Adams County Board of Elections office.
legals@peoplesdefender.com COURT OF COMMON PLEAS ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO Case No.: 2020 0102 Judge: SPENCER NOTICE OF PUBLICATION JOSHUA HAYES Plaintiff -vsKAYLA HAYES Defendant You are hereby notified that Plaintiff Joshua Hayes has on the 24th day of March 2020 filed a Complaint for Divorce. The Defendant, Kayla Hayes, is hereby notified that she is required to answer this Complaint within twenty-eight (28) days after the last publication, said publication to be published at least once a week for six (6) consecutive weeks beginning 4-082020. If Defendant named above does not file an answer to said Complaint within 28 days after 5-13-2020, the date of the last publication, service will be complete and the Court may grant judgment to the Plaintiff as requested. You are required to serve upon Plaintiff’s attorney, David E. Grimes, 108 East Mulberry Street, West Union, OH 45693, a copy of your answer to the Complaint by 6-10-2020. Said answer must be filed with the Adams County Court of Common Pleas, Adams County Courthouse, 110 West Main Street, West Union, OH 45693, within three (3) days after service upon Plaintiff’s attorney, David E. Grimes. Respectfully submitted, David E. Grimes (0067097) Attorney for Plaintiff 108 East Mulberry Street West Union, OH 45693 (937) 544-3900 PD 4-8-20, 4-15-20, 4-22-20, 4-29-20, 5-6-20, 5-13-20 ---------------------------------------Public Notice Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities Inc., which is a private nonprofit corporation intends to submit a Proposal for a capital grant under the provision of 49 USC Section 5310 of the Federal Transit Act to provide transportation services for the elderly and disabled within Adams and Brown Counties and to the Counties of Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, and Scioto. The grant Proposal will request 4 (four) handicapped equipped vehicles, preventive maintenance funding, computer hardware/software and equipment, and operating assistance. It is projected that 600 elderly and disabled will use the service Monday-Friday/52 weeks a year with some limited service on Saturdays for various activities, including transportation to medical appointments. Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities Inc., invites comments and proposals from all interested public, private and paratransit operators including taxi operators, for the provision of transportation services to the elderly and disabled within our service area. Operators who are interested in offering proposals to provide service should contact Teresa Jones, Director, at Adams Brown Counties Economic Opportunities Inc., aka (ABCAP), 406 W. Plum St., Georgetown, OH 45121 to obtain full details of the type of transportation service that is needed prior to preparing a proposal. Comments or proposals must be submitted within 30 days to the agency at the above address with a copy to the Ohio Department of Transportation, Office of Transit, 1980 West Broad Street, Mail Stop 3110, Columbus, Ohio 43233; Attention: Administrator. PD 5-6-20 ---------------------------------------Notice of Bid The Meigs Township Trustees are accepting bids for chip and seal. We are asking that you bid by square foot, (we are looking at a minimum of 80,000 square feet) using AE150 Double coat. Sealed bids need to be turned in or mailed, on or before the MAY 26 meeting at 7:00p.m. at the fire building on Elm Street, Peebles. The trustees reserve the right to reject any or all bids. Carla S. Wesley Fiscal Officer 79 EASTERN AVENUE PEEBLES, OHIO 45660 PD 5-6-20, 5-13-20, 5-20-20 ----------------------------------------
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