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Mahoning County elections chair warns repeated building closures could threaten voters' access
Summary
David Beatrice, chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, told county commissioners that repeated, recent closures at the elections office create a risk to voting access and urged the county to secure a new building before the next election.
David Beatrice, chairman of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, told the Mahoning County Board of Commissioners on March 20 that repeated closures at the board’s facility have left elections operations vulnerable and urged the county to provide a new, secure building.
"Recently, within the last week on March 19 and again on March 24, our building had to be closed," Beatrice said during the public-comment portion of the meeting. "I am once again here beseeching you to give us a new building." He said the office was "one day away from a disaster on election day," and warned that a closure on or immediately before an election would deny citizens their right to vote. "We have a constitutional duty to protect people's right of suffrage," he said.
Beatrice told commissioners he had begun looking into federal laws but said he did not want to pursue litigation if the county moves quickly to address the problem. "We need a building and we needed [it] yesterday," he said.
Commissioners and staff acknowledged the recent shutdowns were caused by separate, nonrelated incidents described during the meeting: a strong smell traced to an open drain, and a utility pole strike that cut power and data. County officials said those causes differed from structural or chronic building failures but that the board of elections would be more secure in a facility with backup power and other redundancy.
A county official said work on relocating or improving the elections office is ongoing and that the county expects to have answers in the next three to four months if not sooner. The official did not give a firm timeline or a specific site.
Beatrice said his concern was not political. "Our political consideration is one thing, making sure it is easy to vote and hard to cheat," he said.
The public-comment exchange occupied part of the morning agenda; no formal action or vote on a building or capital allocation was taken at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to continue work on options for the elections office and to report back, but did not set a definitive deadline or approve funding at this session.
