McEwen wants vote count observers in Clermont

Bob McEwen has sent a representative to the Clermont County Board of Elections to ask that his campaign and that of incumbent Jean Schmidt be allowed to have official observers watching every step of the vote count tonight in Schmidt's home county of Clermont.

Clermont County has had numerous ballot-counting problems in recent elections, including one that resulted in a windfall of votes for Schmidt that enabled her to defeat Democrat Paul Hackett in last summer's special congressional election.

This morning, Clermont election officials had to hold ballots in some precincts for hand-counting later because some precincts got ballots that did not contain the Milford school levy.

"There have been enough problems in Clermont County to warrant this,'' said Mark Faust, a McEwen supporter whom the campaign asked to keep an eye on the Clermont vote count.

"To avoid the appearance of impropriety, we are going to ask for observers, to elmininate this cloud that has hung over Clermont County for the past few elections.''

Faust said shortly after 4 p.m. that he was about to have a meeting with Clermont elections director Michael Keeley to ask that the observers be admitted.

Ohio elections law requires that such requests be made 11 days before the election, but Faust said he believes that Keeley "is a fair and honorable person.''