Lucas County accepts $10,000 state grant for election security; specifics withheld for safety

The Lucas County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5 voted unanimously to accept a $10,000 grant from the Ohio Secretary of State to support upgrades to election-related security systems.

Tim Monaco, representing the Lucas County Board of Elections, told commissioners the award is intended to help the county implement items in the Secretary of State's security directive. "I can't get into too much of the specifics," Monaco said, adding that naming specific systems in a public meeting would violate the directive. He said the funds would be used for software and physical security upgrades.

Commissioners pressed for clarity about what the grant covers and whether any voting or tabulation equipment would be affected. Monaco said none of the grant funds would be used on voting or tabulation machines, which state law prohibits from being connected to the internet; rather, the monies would support other critical infrastructure such as voter registration systems and office physical security. He said some technical specifics could be discussed in executive session but not in open session because of security concerns.

A commissioner expressed a public-transparency concern, noting voters expect clarity about how election dollars are spent. Monaco reiterated the limit on public disclosure imposed by the security directive but said the office would use the money to shore up cybersecurity and physical protections.

Commissioner Lopez moved to accept the grant; the clerk called the roll and recorded votes of Commissioner Cebecchi: yes; Commissioner Gerken: yes; Commissioner Lopez: yes. The motion carried.

The board did not provide a line-item breakdown of how the $10,000 will be spent in the public meeting.