Clearly the topic had moved on to things other than post-election audits alone. And while Norden’s comments at all times centered on specific core concerns on the mechanics of EVEREST, what had begun as an offer to talk about post-election audits had now become a series of pieces in Damschroder’s constant campaign for anything but EVEREST. On January 10, he wrote Dispatch Editorial Page Editor Glenn Sheller:
“If you guys have a ½ hour to spare tomorrow a.m., I know that Larry and Candace would love to meet to discuss EVEREST and the recommendations.”
The email trail ends on January 14, with confirmation of the Dispatch meeting.
WHAT IT ALL MEANS:
- For Jennifer Brunner and her staff, the lesson learned from these emails is that a closed door policy – and failure to reach out to those with divergent views – leads her natural allies of election activists and experts into the arms of a dissent with a far more complicated partisan agenda than election administration in March or November.
- For Matt Damschroder, the emails raise a number of questions? What should be the scope of his duties in running Franklin County elections? Should he be making comments on issues outside the scope of Franklin County and his role? And as head of the Association, what should his role have been in critiquing EVEREST? Did he represent all members or a faction? Finally, should a BOE official be helping an entity develop a lawsuit against another county and the State?
- For Franklin County Democrats, given Damschroder’s very partisan nature, the question remains, “Why is he still Director under a Democratic Secretary of State?” Damschroder, as his emails demonstrate, is a bright, partisan, genial and charming protagonist – characteristics that demand a strong Democratic presence at the Board.
- For Denny White, that means he is faced with the decision of phasing out toward retirement or taking on a role as a strong Board Director who focuses Mr. Damschroder on his new deputy job – Franklin County elections administration – as opposed to Jennifer Brunner’s job which voters have handed her for the next three years?
- Finally, for non-partisan election advocates, it is easy to get wrapped up in help from someone like Matt Damschroder. But the course of his correspondence – much of it unseen to them -- seems to indicate that Damschroder’s rather partisan goals are not really what Election law experts were driving at nor representative of the ultimate policy goals they were articulating. Should there have been more arms-length independence or restraint?
If not, Ohio election reforms will continue to be all damm--ed up with nowhere to go – and the end result is that a scientifically flawed status quo will continue from the confusion. And that after all, seems to be that Mr. Damschroder’s emails indicate he wanted all along.
Documents referenced on file at www.ProgressOhio.org
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