|
Secretary
of State Jon Husted
Bright
“I.D.E.A.” and Election Official of the
Year Awards Presented
Columbus
– Secretary of State Jon Husted
announced Friday the Bright I.D.E.A. (Innovative Developments in
Election
Administration) Award recipients at the Ohio Association of Election
Officials
Conference. Local boards of elections were asked to submit their Bright
I.D.E.A.’s to the Secretary of State prior to the conference to be
considered
according to the following criteria:
•
The development of an innovation that was
successfully put into practice.
•
The I.D.E.A. caused a measured improvement in
the administration of elections at the county level.
•
If utilized, multiple organizations may also
benefit from the implementation of such methods for management, policy
and
procedure improvement.
“Ohio
is recognized more and more as a leader
in elections administration and innovation, which is due in large part
to the
efforts of our local elections officials,” Secretary Husted said. “The
effort
and ideas put into action this past November ensured that Ohio had a
smooth and
fair election.”
Bright
“I.D.E.A.” Award Winners
Process
Management Award went to Allen County
for their submission entitled “Pre-Stuffed Absentee Mail Packets” which
allowed
the board to save time and money by working with their printer to
produce a
pre-made absentee ballot packet to send to voters upon receiving a
request –
reducing the time required to assemble a packet and get it in the mail
from
111.2 seconds to just 26 seconds.
Process
Management Award went to Butler County
for their “Precinct Election Official Recruitment” submission, which
the county
used to more effectively retain and recruit poll workers through an
aggressive
outreach effort that included phone calls, public forums, emails, mail
pieces
and a media campaign.
Voter
Services Award went to Montgomery County
for their initiative “Any Line, Any Time” which streamlines and
simplifies the
voter check-in process, reduces the waiting time to cast a ballot and
improves
the overall voting experience for the voter.
Election
Official of the Year Award Winners
Also
announced at the Ohio Association of
Election Officials Conference were the two Ohio Election Officials of
the Year
winners. Ohio election officials were asked to nominate colleagues who
have
made a notable positive contribution to the profession of elections
administration in their county, and in the State of Ohio, to be
considered for
this honor.
•
The Democratic Ohio Election Official of the
Year Award was presented to Joyce Kale-Pesta, director of the Mahoning
County
Board of Elections. Director Kale-Pesta, who has worked at the board of
elections for more than 25 years, is dedicated to utilizing technology
to
improve transparency and voter access. She also serves as a member of
the Ohio
Board of Voting Machine Examiners and Ohio Association of Election
Officials
Legislative Committee, and has served on several taskforces for the
Secretary
of State’s office.
•
The Republican Ohio Election Official of the
Year Award was presented to Kim Antrican, director of the Warren County
Board
of Elections. Director Antrican has served as both deputy director and
director
for the board. Despite battling breast cancer, Director Antrican
continued to
serve the board throughout the 2012 Presidential Election, putting in
long
hours in the weeks leading up to, during and after Election Day – all
while
undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatments.
The
Republican and Democratic Ohio Election
Officials of the Year were each awarded the National Secretaries of
State
Medallion Award in recognition of their service.
|
