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Kim Antrican with her husband, Todd, and children Stephanie and Seth outside of their Lebanon home. / The Enquirer/Amanda Davidson

Paul McKibben reports:

Kim Antrican worked 23 hours on Election Day while battling breast cancer. The next day, she had another chemotherapy treatment.

Antrican, director of the Warren County Board of Elections, credits a lot of adrenaline for enabling her to work such a taxing day.

“Every day on the way to work, I would pray ‘God give me strength for today. Give me the strength to get through the day’ because I knew that I had to pull from my strength somewhere,” she said.

Antrican, 44, of Lebanon, underwent a double mastectomy in August after feeling a lump in her chest the previous month. She began chemotherapy on Sept. 25, one week before early voting started.

She worked 74 hours during election week and the week prior to that. She put in a 61-hour week two weeks before Election Day.

With the election behind her, she’s working less (40-hour weeks) and not spending her weekends at the office. She’s married with two teenagers.

(more…)

Posted in: Election, News, Warren County |

Tags: Tags: breast cancer, cancer, director, election, election day, kim antrican, lebanon, warren county board of elections

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted / Columbus Dispatch/Will Figg

Barry M. Horstman reports:

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted said Monday there is one major thing the federal government could do to help improve elections in Ohio: give the state the tens of millions of dollars it needs to upgrade or replace its aging voting machines.

“Our machines are old – they’re wearing out,” Husted told a conference on the 2012 election sponsored by the Pew Center on the States. “We can’t run an … election system on the cheap.”

Like most states, Ohio in the mid-2000s relied on the $3 billion in federal money from the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to help buy voting machines still in use. Experts say the electronic voting systems have an effective life of six to 10 years, meaning that many are near the time when they either need to be replaced or will start becoming expensive and difficult to maintain.

The law “got us addicted to these machines, and now they’re getting old,” Husted said.

But secretaries of states from across the nation, election experts, voting rights advocates and others attending the two-day conference agree that federal budget realities of 2012 make it highly unlikely that Washington will again offer the kind of extensive financial aid.

That law, primarily a response to the debacle in the 2000 presidential race in Florida, provided billions of fed dollars to enable states to improve voting equipment, in many cases by replacing the much-maligned punch-card voting machines at the heart of the Sunshine State’s “hanging chad” controversy.

With most states and counties also facing severe fiscal pressures, there is no ready source for the amount of money needed to replace the voting machines purchased with the federal dollars, officials warn. “Nobody really has that kind of funding available,” Husted said. “But people are always asking, ‘What could Washington do?’ Well, this is something it could do.”

The Enquirer reported in August, as part of its Protect Your Vote series, that voting machines in Ohio – particularly the touch-screen machines used in 46 of the state’s 88 counties, including Butler County – were nearing the end of their life cycles.

(more…)

Posted in: Election, News, Ohio |

Tags: Tags: ballots, board of elections, election, jon husted, ohio secretary of state, pew center on the states, voting macgines

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted / Columbus Dispatch/Will Figg

Barry M. Horstman reports:

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: A federal judge has sharply criticized Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted’s last-minute change of ballot rules before this month’s election, saying Husted acted in a “fundamentally unfair and constitutionally impermissible” manner.

Cliff Pride fills out a provisional ballot as his wife, Yvonne, watches in Springfield Township. / The Enquirer/Cara Owsley

Barry M. Horstman reports:

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: election, electiond day, ohio, provisional ballots

Dave Sevat of North Avondale celebrates as President Barack Obama’s victory was announced during the Democratic election watch party at Cincy’s on 6th Street in downtown Cincinnati. Photo by Jeff Swinger.

Jane Prendergast reports:

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: barack obama, election, election 2012, hamilton county, mitt romney, ohio

Paul McKibben reports:

With one contested race, Warren County Republicans maintained complete control of county government in Tuesday’s general election.

With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Warren County Court Judge Donald Oda II was leading Libertarian Roger Staton, 64 percent to 36 percent, in unofficial preliminary results for Common Pleas Court judge. The seat is held by Neal Bronson, who is retiring.

Republicans who didn’t face opposition were Commissioner Dave Young, Commissioner Pat South, Clerk of Court James Spaeth, Coroner Russell Uptegrove, Engineer Neil Tunison, Prosecutor David Fornshell, Recorder Linda Oda, Sheriff Larry Sims, Treasurer James Aumann and County Court Judge Joseph Kirby.

In the contested race for a seat on the 12th District Court of Appeals, Judge Michael Powell was leading attorney Raymond Lembke of Clermont County’s Pierce Township, 79 percent to 21 percent.

Powell will fulfill the rest of the late Rachel Hutzel’s term through February 2017. Hutzel died in August. Gov. John Kasich earlier had appointed Powell to the seat.

The district is comprised of Butler, Warren, Clermont, Preble, Clinton, Brown, Fayette and Madison counties.

A proposed charter amendment to fund fire and emergency medical services was leading in Mason, 73 percent to 27 percent, with 92 percent of precincts in.

The income tax hike would affect employees at key employers that have facilities in Mason, such as Procter & Gamble and Cintas. An estimated 21,000 people work in the city, which is home to more than 1,100 businesses.

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: 12th district court of appeals, charter amendment, dave young, election, issue 7, mason, miachel powell, neal bronson, pat south, rachel hutzel, ramond lembke, republicans, roger staton, safety services, warren county

Poll workers report voter turnout of around 85 percent at the Mason Municipal Center on Election Day. The Enquirer/Rachel Richardson

Voters turned out in force in Mason today, with as much as 85 percent of registered voters casting ballots at many precincts.

Lines at the Mason Municipal Center snaked out the door early Tuesday morning, while people waited in line for more than an hour at Grace Baptist Church, said poll workers there.

“It’s a bigger turnout than usual,” said Kathleen Drake. ” It’s been nice to keep so busy.”

“Its been an awesome turnout,” added Tony Bradburn. “All of the booths have been filled.”

Some voters heading to the polls brought their children along with them, showing them what its like to vote.

Larry Mortashed came out to vote with his wife, Moria, and daughters Sara and Elisabeth, a first-time voter.

“I was pretty excited,” said Elisabeth. “I was really into it and reading up on it.”

Mozel Jones brought her 9-year-old daughter Bella. She cast her ballot for Barack Obama.

“I don’t want my rights taken away or that of my daughter,” she said of her support for the incumbent.

In Mason, voters cast their ballots for two charter amendments.

Issue 6 would amend the city’s charter to alter deadline for nominations of city council members from 75 days before an election to 90 days before an election. The change would bring the city’s deadline in conformance with the statutory deadline for Ohio.

Issue 7 would combine a property tax levy with an increase in the city’s income tax for nonresidents to support safety services. The proposed amendment would add a 0.12 percent income tax on top of the city’s existing 1 percent income tax, though only for nonresidents.

The amendment includes a limit of 5 mills for the property tax. Both rates will be adjusted annually, giving City Council the flexibility to set the rate of the proposed levy and the fire income tax.

Mason councilwoman Char Pelfrey and Mason Mayor David Nichols braved the cold in front of Grace Baptist Church to urge voters to support Issue 7.

“It balances the burden of fire/EMS to minisculely raising taxes on people who work in the city, but don’t live there,” said Pelfrey. “It makes it all balanced with all sharing the burden.”

Pelfrey, who also campaigned for GOP contender Mitt Romney, said she found a receptive audience.

“This is a very Republican area. It’s been an easy polling place,” she said.

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: ballots, barack obama, city of mason, election, issue 6, issue 7, mason, mitt romney, polls, safety services, voting

This is it, folks.

Today’s Election Day and if you haven’t heard by now, Ohioans will be deciding the election.

Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today.  MasonBuzz has everything you need to know to help you vote — and some fun stuff, too.

• Build your ballot
• Enquirer endorsements

State issues

• Primer: State Issue 1 (Constitution) 
• Primer: State Issue 2 (Redistricting) 
• Ohio Supreme Court 
• Ohio Board of Education

Mason Charter Amendments

• Issue 6 would amend the city’s charter to alter the deadline for nominations of city council members from 75 days before an election to 90 days before an election.  The change would bring the city’s deadline in conformance with the statutory deadline for Ohio.  Statewide election law changes in 2010 directed Ohio election boards to have ballots prepared 45 days prior to an election to accommodate citizens living overseas, including those in the military.
• Issue 7 would combine a property tax levy with an increase in the city’s income tax for nonresidents to support safety services.  The proposed amendmentwould add a 0.12 percent income tax on top of the city’s existing 1 percent income tax, though only for nonresidents.  The amendment includes a limit of 5 mills for the property tax.  Both rates will be adjusted annually, giving City Council the flexibility to set the rate of the proposed levy and the fire income tax.The fire income tax and the existing income tax would cost someone working 40 hours a week at $10 an hour $4.48 a week. That’s 48 cents a week more than what he or she pays now.  The 5-mill levy, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2014, would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about an extra $18 a year if council decided to take the full 5 mills.

Voter Information

• Ohio Voter FAQs
• Find your polling location
• Warren County Board of Elections
• Voter ID Info
• Voter Eligibility
• Look up your voting information
• How to use voting equipment
• Problem at the polls? Tell us
• Track election problems
• Follow the election on Twitter

More election news

• Track candidate visits
• Enquirer Reporters: What we saw on the campaign
• Quizzes: Elections | Election movies 
• Tell us: Who are you voting for?  
• Presidential visits to Cincinnati
• Romney’s West Chester rally | Photos
• Obama at UC | Photos

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: ballot, charter amendment, city of mason, election, election day, income tax, issue 6, issue 7, mason, property tax, safety services amendment, voting, voting guide, warren county board of elections

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney shared his vision for the county’s future with 30,000 people during a West Chester rally Friday night.

Now the rest of the country can see some of it. The rally is featured in a new Romney campaign television advertisement called, “Bigger, Better America.”

Watch it here.

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: ad, bigger better america, election, mitt romney, paul ryan, rally, west chester

Paul McKibben reports:

Early voting is heavy today at the Warren County Administration Building. A line snaked out the building’s main door along a sidewalk. Yellow caution tape helped keep things orderly.

Blanchester resident Matt Wiles, 22, said he waited in line about 75 minutes Monday. He said waiting is “a drag” but it’s a good sign that there are more people who it seems care. He voted early because he assumes the lines on Election Day will “be horrible.”

“I was decided so why not get it over with,” he said.

Brian Sleeth, the county’s deputy director of elections, said the county is averaging more than 200 early voters an hour for this election.

Posted in: Election, News |

Tags: Tags: board of elections, early voting, lebanon, ohio, warren county