Board of Elections

    UNION COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
 (1891-PRESENT) 
 
 

In 1891, the Ohio General Assembly created the county board of elections and gave it the authority to supervise and conduct elections.  The board originally consisted of four qualified voters in the county appointed by the probate judge.  Two members were appointed for one year while the remaining two members served two year terms.  The secretary of state, acting in his capacity as chief election official, was given the authority to appoint members to the board in 1929.  Currently, on the first day of March in even numbered years, he appoints two members to a four year term, one each from the political parties which case the highest and the next highest number of votes for the office of governor in the preceding election. Board members, throughout their term, are subject to summary removal by the secretary of state for neglect of duty, misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance. 

Within five days after the secretary of state has made these appointments, the board is required to organize by selecting a chairman and a resident elector as clerk.  The clerk of the board is responsible for keeping a record of the board’s proceedings and any other records pertaining to registration, primaries, and elections.  The first members of the Union County Board of Elections were appointed in 1891.

Union County Board of Elections

James B. Whelpley Republican (1891-1892) Eugene E. Rausch Democrat (1936-1943)
John H. Kinkade Democrat (1891-1905) Frank T. Gaumer Democrat (1938-1943)
George F. Bennet Democrat (1891-1898) C.L. Thompson Republican (1934-1942)
Marion Hopkins Republican (1891-1911) Clinton M. Croy Republican (1942-1954)
John E. Griffith Republican (1892-1895) Winfield E. Behrens Democrat (1946-1953)
Lewis G. English Republican (1895-1896) Milton L. Rausch Democrat (1943-1948)
Allen E. Plate Republican (1896-1906) Frank T. Gaumer Democrat (1944-1946)
A.J. Hare Democrat (1898-1900) Winfield E. Behrens Democrat (1946-1953)
Arna E. Mitchell Democrat (1900-1904) Eugene E. Rausch Democrat (1948-1978)
F.A. Thompson Democrat (1904-1908) John H. DeVoss Republican (1952-1964)
W.R. Weidman Democrat (1905-1911) William L. Coleman Democrat (1953-1966)
Charles S. Hamilton Republican (1906-1910) J.K. McLauglin Republican (1954-1962)
Homer Southard Democrat (1908-1912) Gerald L. Kingsmore Republican (1962-1978)
J.M. Lentz Republican (1910-1917) John Cheney Republican (1964-1967)
C.W. Hoopes Republican (1908-1916) William G. McCarthy Democrat (1966-1968)
E.C. Cody Democrat (1911-1916) William L. Coleman Democrat (1969-1981)
W.P. O'Brien Democrat (1912-1913) Ralph F.E. Nicol Republican (1967-1987)
William J. Conrad Democrat (1913-1914) John R. Bell Republican (1978-1979)
F.W. Galloway Republican (1916-1920) Rex Rounds Democrat (1978-1984)
L.P. Rupright Democrat (1916-1920) Walter Herd Republican (1979-1986)
Monroe Amrine Democrat (1914-1919) Luther L. Liggett Democrat (1981-1985)
Walter M. Otte Republican (1917-1921) Madonna Speyer Democrat (1984-1992)
M.T. Cody Democrat (1919-1925) Thomas L. Kruse Democrat (1985-1987)
A.G. Kirby Republican (1920-1924) Walter M. Burns Republican (1986-1989)
W.J. Rausch Democrat (1920-1924) Gary J. Lee Republican (1987-2002)
G. Casper Scheiderer Republican (1921-1924) Stephen G. Coleman Democrat (1987-1997)
Edward H. Hatton Republican (1924-1928) Robert W. Parrott Republican (1989-2021)
H.W. Skidmore Republican (1924-1925) David R. Moots Democrat (1992-2014)
Louis P. Rausch Democrat (1924-1928) Thomas L. Kruse Democrat (1997-1999)
W.B. Stewart Democrat (1925-1927) Jack C. Foust Democrat (1999-2009)
L.O. Mapes Republican (1925-1926) Max E. Robinson Republican (2002-2008)
Alvi Graham Republican (1926-1927) Dean E. Cook Republican (2008-Present)
Luther Liggett Democrat (1927-1936) William C. Steele Democrat (2010-Present)
Charles E. Moran Republican (1927-1932) Teri Lemaster Democrat (2014-2018)
O.L. Bonham Republican (1928-1934) Rebecca R. Pokorski Democrat (2018-2023)
James Mackan Democrat (1928-1938) Gary J. Lee Republican (2021-2023)
O.D. Dillon Republican (1932-1936) Barbara A. Luke Democrat (2023-Present)
T.B. Collinson Republican (1936-1940)
Paris Outland Republican (1940-1952)

 The responsibilities and duties of the board of elections include receiving and canvassing voting returns, certifying an abstract to the secretary of state, and issuing certificates of election.  The board also is empowered by general statute to establish and define election precincts, fix places of registration, review and certify the validity of petitions and nominating papers, maintain poll books and tally sheets, and investigate all irregularities in elections. 


  RECORDS OF THE UNION COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS  

  Absentee Voter Register    (1944-1996) 
  Appointment and Payroll Records    (1958-1987) 
  Board of Elections Minutes    (1915-2013) 
  Campaign Expense Reports    (1956-1980) 
  Receipts for Filing of Nominating Petition    (1916-1963) 
  Record of Bond Issues and Tax Levies    (1974-1988)