CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The outcome of the local city council race in Chillicothe is shrouded in uncertainty as a scandal involving potential voter tampering has emerged, prompting a felony investigation by the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. The incident centers around the 5th ward Chillicothe City Council race and has cast doubt on the unofficial results from Election Night. A meeting held Tuesday by the county brought no closure to anyone involved.
Republican Greg McKeever had initially been declared the unofficial winner by a slim margin of five votes, securing 555 votes compared to Democratic challenger Julie Thacker’s 550 votes. The race holds significant weight as Republicans currently maintain a supermajority on the city council, controlling seven out of the nine seats. Losing the 5th or 6th ward could potentially diminish their majority, giving Democratic Mayor Luke Feeney increased influence over legislative decisions.
The scandal came to light on Friday when the Ross County Sheriff’s Office received information from an anonymous source alleging tampering with provisional ballots related to the 5th ward race.
The focus of the investigation was on three employees at the Ross County Board of Elections, including two co-directors and one employee. Security camera footage reportedly captured much of the alleged misconduct, with the video currently held by the county’s I.T. department and the prosecuting attorney. Witnesses claim that Thacker’s close family member, employed at the Board of Elections, removed provisional ballots from a secure room and took them into the office’s kitchen. Thacker’s daughter, who is aligned with the Democratic party, came under criminal investigation, although no charges have been filed at this time. Witnesses observed that after the daughter’s actions, five ballot envelopes were unsealed. Another employee took it upon herself to reseal the envelopes, expressing concern that they should not have been opened. It was not known at the time of the police report why the envelopes were unsealed, or if the employee was responsible. Thacker’s daughter had reportedly lawyered up, using the mayor’s wife, Stacy Brooks as legal counsel. The employee and Brooks did not return a request for comment to the Guardian.
The Ross County Board of Elections met on Tuesday to count the provisional ballots, but the election will not be certified until a second meeting on Thursday. 259 provisional ballots were cast countywide. The board did not announce on Tuesday how many of those were for the City of Chillicothe, let alone the two races in question. Some of the ballots were rejected by the board for various reason, some of which were stated on the record, such as the wrong polling location or name changes. The board said at the meeting Tuesday that the ballots “would need to be opened” and that the results would be publicly shared on Thursday.
Despite the unfolding scandal, election officials and law enforcement authorities are assuring the public that the investigation is being taken seriously. Secretary of State’s communications director, Melanie Amato, stated, “Ohio’s elections are held to the highest possible standard, so we take any allegation of impropriety very seriously.”
Election experts emphasize the gravity of the situation, highlighting concerns about the potential manipulation of “under votes” and stressing that any wrongdoing, even if votes were not altered, is a serious breach of the election process.
A letter from Ross County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Marks to the Board of Elections dated for Tuesday said he felt comfortable with the board moving forward with the Tuesday afternoon meeting to count the provisional ballots. Marks wrote in his letter that he reviewed security camera video and that at no time, did he observe the “named employee” do anything illegal. Marks noted the he only observed the employee take the ballots into another room — which he said was under constant surveillance with a camera — and count the number of envelopes. As for the alleged-five unsealed envelopes, Marks said he was of the understanding that the ballots had not been properly sealed when the voter placed them in the envelope. As a result, Marks said he did not feel any criminal misconduct had been conducted and assured the board to continue with their meeting. The Guardian has a pending public records request for the video.
The Secretary of State’s office said on Tuesday that their investigation was ongoing and there was not an update to publicly provide.