Editor's Note:
This story has been updated to reflect a response from Kurt Schneider's campaign, which can be found, in full, at the bottom of this story.
ASHLAND — Law enforcement was busy Tuesday afternoon defusing tensions at three polling locations.
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and the Ashland police responded to seven calls on Tuesday to respond to complaints of hecklers and the placement of campaign signage.
No charges are expected in any of the incidents from either agency.
Ashland County Sheriff deputies responded to complaints at polling locations in Hayesville and the Ashland County Fairgrounds, said Chief Deputy David Blake.
Ashland Police responded to three calls at the Eagles Club on Westlake Drive and one call to the fairgrounds, said Lieutenant Jerry Bloodhart.
Blake said the Hayesville call involved people allegedly heckling voters as they entered a church building to vote.
“They were heckling other people voting for the other side,” Blake said.
He said the “hecklers” supported Kurt Schneider, one of two candidates for Ashland County sheriff.
Blake said the deputy who responded to the scene asked the people to move away and they cooperated.
Around 45 minutes later, a poll worker at the fairgrounds called police to complain about a woman allegedly disrupting traffic into the Mozelle Hall polling location and being too close to the entrance.
State law prohibits campaigning within 100 feet of polling location entrances.
Blake said the woman was asked to move to the sidewalk and not disrupt the flow of traffic coming in and out of the polling location. She complied, he said.
Blake said he does not expect any charges from the incidents; however, the office is investigating an allegation regarding vandalism of political signs at Corner Park.
Sean Bartley, a spokesman for the Schneider campaign, said the signs vandalized at Corner Park were Kurt Schneider signs.
“A deputy went (to Corner Park) this morning at 6:15 and we’re working on getting video of the area to see who that was,” Blake said.
‘A bit of a disturbance’
Bloodhart, of Ashland Police Division, said he and another officer responded to the Eagles Club after poll workers there accused some of violating election laws.
“They said people are out there too close to the polling station,” he said. “I guess they were causing a bit of a disturbance.”
Police returned to the Eagles Club twice after the initial call, Bloodhart said.
Ashland police also responded to a call about candidate Schneider being on the fairgrounds. Bloodhart cited Ohio Revised Code 3501.35, which sets rules against loitering or congregating near polling places.
He said Schneider was not found to be in violation of the law. He said another complaint — the placement of campaign signs on the fairgrounds — was not found to be valid.
Bloodhart said he does not expect the police department to bring any charges related to the incidents.
Ashland County Commissioner Denny Bittle said he had received calls all morning about the placement of campaign signs at the fairgrounds. He received so many that he went there to talk to those concerned.
“I had them remove the signs,” he said.
But then he second-guessed his authority on the issue and discussed it with commissioners Mike Welch and Jim Justice.
Bittle characterized the discussion as informal. Ultimately, the placement of political signs upon county fairground property would be allowed, based on the commissioner’s discussion.
But those signs need to be outside of the 100-foot radius from an entrance of a polling location, he said.
Shannon Johnson, deputy director of the Ashland County Board of Elections, said her polling managers noted voters felt intimidated and harassed.
“There were a couple individuals who felt passionate about their candidate who maybe went overboard. That’s when deputies had to be called,” she said.
Johnson said the Eagles Club has a policy that prohibits political signage on its property.
“So there was a Schneider sign on a truck,” she said. “The sign was outside the 100-foot radius but on their property.”
She said the site’s poll manager asked the sign bearer to remove the sign, which was done.
Johnson said voter turnout throughout the county is not huge, but Mozelle and Eagles are typically busier.
She said the reported incidents have not prevented voters from entering locations and casting ballots.
Polls in Ashland County opened Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Schneider campaign responds
Bartley issued the following statement in response to accusations:
“The Enderby campaign calling the cops on volunteers and their opponent for playing by the rules and exercising their 1st Amendment Rights is beyond the pale. And they did this while they are being investigated for illegally destroying Kurt Schneider campaign property. This is a crass political move by Chad Enderby and his cronies in government.”
“Every volunteer has done their best to exercise the free speech within the guidelines and have been compliant even when officials have wrongly infringed on their rights, which were later admitted to be wrongly infringed upon.”