MANSFIELD — The Richland County Board of Elections is currently seeking a candidate to fill the position of deputy director pending the upcoming retirement of Bill Freytag.
Freytag, who has been with the Board of Elections for eight years, is counting down the days to his last working day on Dec. 31. In the meantime, director Paulette Hankins and the board are busy looking for his replacement, and are accepting applications until Oct. 1.
Hankins has been with the Board of Elections for nearly 34 years, seeing at least four or five deputy directors come and go throughout her tenure.
“I was planning on retiring sometime soon,” Hankins said with a laugh. “But with Bill leaving it’s hard to leave it in the hands of two new people.”
The process of hiring a new deputy director at the Board of Elections is a bit different than normal job openings and hirings. The applicant must be a Republican registered voter, must reside in Richland County or be willing to relocate within 30 days, and preferably have some experience working elections.
Having a registered Republican in the position is a requirement because Hankins is a registered Democrat. She said it is imperative that all positions in the Board of Elections office is balanced between both parties to stave off accusations of bias.
“It’s important for perception mostly to the public that it’s not just a Democrat or just a Republican making all the decisions, but can you imagine Republicans and Democrats agreeing on anything, much less trying to rig an election like people seem to think we can do?” Hankins said. “Every process we do in here is monitored with a Republican and a Democrat having some part in it. It would be impossible for anyone to attempt to do anything in here, even if someone were willing to risk their job, their livelihood and a prison sentence.”
The residential requirement in Richland County comes from being connected to poll workers and polling places in an election, particularly when recruiting new poll workers and knowing the demographics of the county to install new polling places. Hankins said experience other than working polls is preferred in the deputy director position.
“Even though the requirement in the job description is you have to have some election experience, most people don’t have a whole lot,” she said. “It’s hard for anyone to actually have experience unless you’ve worked on a board before. We do have several applicants considering applying who are currently working at a board of elections in another county.”
With Freytag’s official last day being Dec. 31, the new deputy director officially wouldn’t start until Jan. 1, 2019. However, Hankins said ideally the applicant would be able to work part-time during the November election in Richland County to become better acclimated to the expected duties.
The Richland County Board of Elections is a small office, with only two full-time employees and two part-time employees on staff. According to Hankins, that means everyone is well-versed on performing any necessary function around the office.
“Contrary to popular opinion we don’t just work two days a year, and especially this year with the August special election,” Hankins said. “We go from one election right into the next when you consider the time period of issuing petitions, getting prep work on the ballot layout and the registration deadlines, then going into absentee and early voting and then the election itself and the official count and recounts if necessary.”
That also means a good working relationship between everyone is a necessity, regardless of political opinions. In fact, Hankins said everyone at the Board of Elections leaves their political hats at the door when they come to work.
“It always takes a little getting used to someone’s personality and their skill set to know how we can divide up the duties,” Hankins said. “Of course we’re going to disagree sometimes, and we have, but it doesn’t mean we can’t work together and respect their opinion.
“It’s about doing the right thing, being transparent and honest and having secure elections that people can count on and depend on, and not question the outcome,” she continued. “We’ve had recounts where there’s been a one or two vote difference, and the count comes out the same each time. That means a lot if you can give the public that confidence.”
Applications for the deputy director close on Oct. 1, then the Republican members of the Board of Elections will interview the candidates up for the job. After that, the entire board must accept the new candidate. Board members include Chairman Jeff Wilkinson, Joseph Mudra, Lydia Reid, and Karen Browning.
In the meantime, Hankins is preparing for a new face to sit in the office just down the hall from hers. Of course, she will miss working with Freytag.
“He keeps it fun in here,” she said. “He has such a boisterous laugh that’s contagious, and he has a good time with whatever he’s doing. His personality will be missed for sure – and his work of course, but that’s a given.”
