Smith reappointed to elections board

SANDUSKY — The Erie County Republican Party reappointed a local lawyer to continue serving in an important political position. Nic Smith, an attorney with Sandusky-based Smith & Lehrer Co., received backing from fellow party members on Monday to remain a member on Erie County's elections board. The four-member board, which supervises local election contests, is comprised of two Democrats, Tom Ferrell and Bill Monaghan, along with a pair of Republicans, Jeff Krabill and Smith. Smith answered some questions about returning to the role, one he considers important: Q: What recently happened? NS: I was reappointed by the Erie County Republican Party Central Committee for a second four-year term to the Erie County Board of Elections, however, I still need to be approved by the Ohio Secretary of State for this new four-year term. Q: What have you accomplished on the board that, you believe, deems you worthy of another term? NS: In my opinion, the board's biggest accomplishments over the last four years include the following: • Conducting a successful presidential primary and general election with completely new board members and full-time staff None of the current board members or full-time staff — the director, deputy director, Republican clerk and Democratic clerk — were with the board in 2016. Despite the board not having prior experience that rose to the level of a presidential primary or general election, and having to deal with the unprecedented complications presented by COVID-19, the full-time staff did an amazing job working together with the board to conduct the elections. • The success of the past election was a result of having a dedicated staff that diligently worked the long hours required to ensure a smooth election. As a member of the board, I assisted in hiring the four full-time staff members that were able to coordinate and conduct the election. • During my first four-year term, there was an intense focus on upgrading our security, both physical security and cybersecurity. With former director Jen Ferback taking the lead on this project, the board was able to upgrade its security protocols to meet the mandates prescribed by the Ohio Secretary of State. • In addition to updating security, led again by prior director Ferback, the board was able to obtain new voting machines and use the new machines and poll books to conduct more efficient elections. Q: What are your goals for your next four-year term? NS: Assuming approval by the secretary, my goal as a member of the board of elections over the next four years will be to conduct smooth elections in Erie County. We need to continue to ensure that members of our community that are not registered to vote (are) registered to do so. Additionally, we need to ensure that when these individuals and all voters in Erie County do cast their ballots, that they have confidence that their votes are counted. To this end, we need to continue to invest in both the full-time staff of the board as well as upgrading and expanding the board's website as the website serves as a great resource for members of the community to obtain information about upcoming elections and voter information.