BATAVIA, OH — Claire Corcoran, President of the Board of County Commissioners, today announced the selection of Stephanie Hemmer-Haight by the Clermont County Board of Elections as their new director effective today. She will replace Director Julia Carney, who has accepted a position as Assistant Clermont County Prosecutor.
After considering several impressive candidates, the selection committee recommended Hemmer-Haight to the full board in today’s meeting; the board unanimously approved her as the new director.
“We wish Stephanie Hemmer-Haight the best in this very important role,” Corcoran said. “We feel fortunate to have such an experienced and well-rounded selection for this position.”
Director Hemmer-Haight received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Wilmington College and her Master’s Degree as an Intervention Specialist from Antioch University. She has been a county election official for nine years, and has organized and led training for many of the county’s poll workers. She resides in Milford with her husband Michael Haight and their dog Pistol.
Currently secretary of the Milford Fire Department Board, she also serves the community through her involvement with veteran’s organizations, American Legion Fish Fries, and the Republican Executive Committee. Director Hemmer-Haight’s election experience, success in private business management, community leadership, and history of collaboration with BOE, county, community and party personnel will ensure a smooth transition as she assumes the director role.
The Clermont County Board of Elections is located at 76 S. Riverside, Batavia, Ohio 45103.
BATAVIA, OH (March 10, 2020) — Out of an abundance of caution concerning the coronavirus, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has ordered the relocation of polling locations in retirement living or senior care facilities. Our webpage boe.clermontcountyohio.gov will have the most up-to-date information on what locations have changed.
Currently, the locations being relocated are:
Old Locations:
S.E.M. Villa, 201 Mound Street, Milford, Ohio (Milford City D voters)
And
S.E.M. Terrace, 5371 South Milford Road, Milford, Ohio (Milford City E voters)
New Location:
Pattison Elementary School, 5330 S. Milford Road, Milford, Ohio
Additionally, we encourage voters to take advantage of Ohio’s ample early voting opportunities. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the March 17 election is noon on March 14. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by the day before the election in order to be counted, or you can drop it off at the Clermont County Board of Elections on March 17 from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm.
For any additional questions regarding state response to coronavirus, visit VoteOhio.gov/CoronaFacts
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BATAVIA, OH (Feb. 5, 2020) – The Clermont County Board of Elections today announced the successful completion of security upgrades required by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
“The Clermont County Board of Elections and the County Information Systems Department worked diligently to meet the secretary of state’s directive,” said Julia Carney, director, Clermont County Board of Elections. “The implemented security enhancements will serve to defend the security and integrity of Ohio’s elections.”
On June 11, 2019, LaRose issued Directive 2019-08, a comprehensive, multi-faceted security strategy for local boards that provides the redundancy required of a strong election system infrastructure. Counties had until Jan. 31 to complete the secretary’s requirements. The effort has made Ohio the national leader in election security.
The directive included a checklist of 34 separate requirements that must be met in order to be considered compliant. The specifics of the checklist essentially serve as Ohio’s detailed defense plan against adversaries who seek to disrupt our elections. The requirements fall under five separate sectors:
“The voters in Clermont County should be proud of their local board of elections for successfully embracing such a big challenge,” LaRose said. “By elevating their defensive posture, they’ve helped make Ohio a national model for election security.”
In January of 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated Election Infrastructure as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. By its very nature, each and every election system is vulnerable to ever changing security environments. By implementing this elevated security posture that is a model for the nation, Ohio will be in the best possible standing to deter any threats to our election system, both foreign and domestic.
BATAVIA, Ohio (June 4, 2019) – The Clermont County Board of Elections has purchased 155 ExpressVote machines that are ADA-compliant and will be available at each precinct during elections. The machines, which cost $713,473, are replacing AutoMARKS, which were first used in the 1996 presidential election.
ExpressVotes are touch-screen machines that print out a paper ballot. They include an audio-tactile keyboard to help those with various disabilities, including blindness.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase at its May 29 Session. The purchase also includes a new high speed scanner, and a ballot-on-demand print system.
“The ballot-on-demand system will offer an immediate savings to the county,” said Elections Director Julia Carney. “The Board of Elections is required to pre-print ballots equal to 101% of the registered voters in each precinct. Since there is never a 100% turnout, the unused ballots, which cost 30 cents each, are destroyed.”
Now, as a voter comes into the Board of Elections office for early, in-person voting, a ballot can be immediately printed out.
The cost of these upgrades will be reimbursed by the State of Ohio, Carney said.
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BATAVIA, Ohio (Sept. 25, 2018) – Some important dates are coming up as the Clermont County Board of Elections prepares for the 2018 General Election on Nov. 6.
This election, commonly referred to as the midterm election, includes these races in Ohio:
Federal:
All House seats
U.S. Senate seat
State:
Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, justice of Supreme Court (2), Court of Appeals judge
All state representatives
County:
Commissioner, auditor, Common Pleas Court judges (3)
There is one state issue on the ballot, and a number of local issues and levies.
October
Oct. 9: Deadline to register to vote. The Board of Elections is open until 9 p.m.
Oct. 10: Absentee voting by mail begins (ends Nov. 5)
Oct. 10: Early in-person voting begins:
November
Early in-person voting hours:
Nov. 3: Noon deadline to request an absentee ballot
Nov. 5: Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by this date
Nov. 6: General Election: Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; voters can drop off absentee ballot at Board of Elections office until 7:30 p.m.
The Clermont County Board of Elections is located at 76 S. Riverside Drive, Batavia. For questions, call 513.732.7275 or email Director Julia Carney at jcarney@clermontcountyohio.gov. Complete information on the upcoming election, the sample ballot, and where to vote can be found at the Board of Elections website, www.clermontelections.org.
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BATAVIA, Ohio (Feb. 1, 2018) — The Clermont County Board of Elections is recruiting precinct election officials (PEOs) – better known as poll workers — to staff polling locations for both the May 8 primary election and the Nov. 6 general election.
Poll workers are paid a minimum of $155 for attending the 2-3 hour training course held at the Board of Elections, and working Election Day. On Election Day, polls are open 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. in Ohio.
“Being a poll worker is an enjoyable and rewarding way to be part of the election process,” said Julia Carney, Director of the Board of Elections. “Poll workers are the backbone of our election system and help ensure all elections are conducted in a fair and accurate manner and serve to help safeguard the integrity of the election process.”
Poll workers are required to be registered voters in Clermont County.
To be a poll worker, call the Board of Elections at 513.732.7275 or go to the board’s website: http://www.clermontelections.org. Click on the Poll Workers/PEO tab at top.
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Judy Miller
BATAVIA, Ohio (Dec. 29, 2016) – Judy Miller was named to the board that oversees the Clermont County Board of Elections in 1982, representing the Democratic Party, and at the time, one of the young
est members of a Board of Elections in the State of Ohio.
On Dec. 31, she is retiring from her position as director of the Board of Elections, which she has held since March 2008. She was appointed deputy director in 2006.
During her tenure, technology has made dramatic changes in how elections are conducted in the United States, and the launch of early voting has changed the nature of elections.
In Ohio, positions on the four-member county Boards of Elections must be evenly split between the two major parties. Terms are four years, with the board reorganized every two years. The director is appointed, or reappointed, every two years. Typically, the director and the chairman of the board are of the opposite party, as are the director and deputy director. Usually, but not always, the director is of the same party as the Secretary of State. The Office of the Secretary of State provides legal guidance, elections procedures, and campaign finance information to Boards of Elections; and provides training for Board of Elections members and staff.
Judy leaves confident of the integrity of elections in Clermont County and the State of Ohio, and proud of the teamwork the board, her staff, and poll workers show no matter their political persuasion.
“Everything we do, we do as a team. And we’ve been successful because of our teamwork,” she said.
The biggest changes came about beginning in 2002, when Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in response to the disputed presidential election of 2000. HAVA made sweeping reforms to the nation’s voting systems, and also provided federal funding for new technology. In 2005, the Clermont County board instituted new tabulating technology that made the scanning of optical ballots quicker and more secure.
“We were told that that technology would be good for about 10 years,” Judy said. “In 2013, Mike Keeley (then deputy director) and I went to the National Elections Conference in Louisville. We saw the newest state-of-the-art advances in election technology, and we wanted to make sure new equipment would be in place for the 2016 presidential election.”
Working with County Commissioner and the county Office of Management and Budget, Judy and the Elections Board developed a four-year plan to finance the new tabulation equipment, purchased from Elections Systems & Software, for approximately $1 million. Part of the plan included eliminating 35 precincts in the county by merging them with others. This saved $22,000 per election in personnel costs, and also eliminated the need for equipment for that precinct. Clermont currently has 167 precincts.
“We were ready for the 2016 election,” she said. “There were fewer than 10 counties in Ohio that had new equipment for that election.
“I feel really good about our system,” she added. “We have accuracy tests before, during and after elections, and it comes out 100% all the time.” And since the county stayed with optical ballots, and never adopted a touch-screen system, there is always a paper trail.
The other major change she has overseen has been the advent of early voting. Before the reforms of 2002, absentee ballots were used rarely and for very limited reasons. Now registered voters can vote at the Board of Elections several weeks before the actual election or can use a mail-in ballot, with no restrictions. “We had to develop a whole new system when early voting was introduced,” she said. “We needed part-time workers to supplement our full-time staff, and they can be hard to find.”
Poll workers are essential to the smooth operations of any election, and Clermont’s poll workers have also had to adapt to new technology. In 2017, County Commissioners approved a raise for poll workers, from $105 to $120 a day, the first raise since 2008. “Our relationship with our poll workers is important. We want them to come back to work!” she said. “They are an important part of the team.”
Judy will be retiring from the board, but not from working. She’ll be joining her family’s insurance business on a part-time basis. In January, Julia Carney will become Director of the Board of Elections and Chris Dennison Deputy Director.
Judy says the Board of Elections has maintained a good working relationship with the County Commissioners, and that has helped in ensuring that the Elections Board has the resources it needs to conduct fair and untainted elections. “Our Board of Elections is very efficiently run,” she says. “Our board works together and does not play politics.”
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BATAVIA, Ohio (Oct. 20, 2017) – The Clermont Count Board of Elections is in urgent need of poll workers for the Nov. 7 General Election.
Poll workers, who are paid $155 for the day, will be trained prior to Election Day. “Training is very easy,” said Board of Elections Director Judy Miller. “Once you’ve worked you will want to work again, because it’s a rewarding day where you know you are doing your civic duty.”
Call the Clermont County Board of Elections at 513.732.7275 to get signed up or email the board at Elections@ClermontCountyOhio.gov. “You can also sign up to work at the gubernatorial primary and General Election in 2018. It’s not too early!” Miller said.
Vote early by mail
Clermont voters who want to vote by mail can order their ballot now for the Nov. 7 General Election. Call the Clermont County Board of Elections at 513.732.7275 and ask for an application to order a ballot by mail, or print an application off of the Board of Election’s website at www.ClermontElections.org. Complete it and mail to the Board of Elections. You must send in your application by Nov. 1.
Vote early at Board of Elections
Early in-person voting for the Nov. 7 General Election is now open at the Clermont County Board of Elections, 76 S. Riverside Drive, Batavia. Details:
Through Friday, Oct. 27: 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Oct. 30-Nov. 3: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 4: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 5: 1-5 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 6: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 7 – Election Day: All polling places open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
For questions, call 513.732.7275.
At this General Election, voters will select a Municipal Court judge, city, village, township, and school board members. The ballot also includes two state issues and other local issues.
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BATAVIA, Ohio (Sept. 28, 2017) – Clermont County Commissioners approved on Sept. 27 an increase in the pay of county local precinct officials, also known as poll workers.
Beginning immediately, one-day pay for poll workers will go from $105 to $120. Pay for training, which typically lasts two to three hours, will increase from $25 to $35. And pay for mileage will increase, from a minimum of $10 a trip to a maximum of $55 a trip. Poll workers are paid mileage based on the distance from the Board of Elections in Batavia, where they pick up equipment and supplies, to the precinct polling place.
“This is the first increase in pay for our poll workers since 2008,” said Judy Miller, Director of the Clermont County Board of Elections. “Our poll workers are dedicated to what they do, and they are responsible for making our elections a success. They work long days, and we are grateful that the Commissioners recognized that they were due a raise in pay.”
Clermont County has 167 precincts, and four poll workers – two Democrats and two Republicans – are required by law to staff every precinct. Currently, Clermont County is seeking 30 Democratic poll workers for the Nov. 7 general election. Races for cities, villages, townships, and school boards will be on the ballot, along with a race for a Municipal Court judge, as well as two state issues.
If you are interested in finding out more about being a poll worker, call the Board of Elections at 513.732.7275. You will also find information here: http://www.clermontelections.org/precinct-election-officials.
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BATAVIA, Ohio (Oct. 6, 2016) – Early in-person voting in Clermont County begins Oct. 12. Registered voters in Clermont County can vote at the Board of Elections, 76 S. Riverside Drive, Batavia, during these days and times:
8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Oct. 12-14, 17-21
8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 24-28
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 29 (Saturday)
1-5 p.m. Oct. 30 (Sunday)
8 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 4
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 5 (Saturday)
1-5 p.m. Nov. 6 (Sunday)
8 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 7
Polls will be open on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 8 — from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Those interested in voting by mail can call the Board of Elections at 513.732.7275 to receive an application to vote or can download an application from the Board of Elections website, http://www.clermontelections.org/AbsenteeVoting.aspx, or can request a ballot by going to the Board of Elections. Absentee ballots must be delivered or mailed back to the board by 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8.
When voting in person, you must furnish an ID, such as a driver’s license, a state ID card, or a utility bill with your name and current address on it. Details can be found at the Secretary of State’s website, http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/publications/election/Bring_ID_CARD.pdf.
Complete information on Clermont County sample ballots and polling locations can be found at the Board of Elections website, www.clermontelections.org.
The deadline for registering to vote in Ohio for the Nov. 8 election is Tuesday, Oct. 11. (The Board is closed on Monday, Oct. 10, for Columbus Day.) You can register at the Clermont County Board of Elections or at any public library branch, Bureau of Motor Vehicles location, and several other locations that are found here: http://www.clermontelections.org/Registration.aspx.
For more information, call the Board at 513.732.7275.
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