A Democrat-aligned legislator confronts Republican opposition over voter enrollment matters.
After a tied vote in the county elections board on a contentious matter on Thursday, the fate of the congresswoman's right to vote in Akron, Ohio, where she is registered, will now be decided by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
Sykes, the representative for Ohio’s 13th District and a candidate for reelection, voiced her displeasure at the partisan stalemate in a statement to CNN, stating, "These divisive games are a slap in the face to the voters in Ohio’s 13th Congressional district and the latest in a calculated scheme to silence their voices."
The partisan challenge to her voter registration and ability to cast her ballot in her own district does not impact her eligibility to run and represent her district.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding her voter registration status, Sykes chose to cast her vote at her local polling station on Thursday, daring her critics to disregard her vote.
"I just early voted," Sykes declared outside the Summit County Board early voting location, sharing her statement with CNN.
The challenge to Sykes’ voter registration was initiated by a local tea party Republican, Tom Zawistowski, who submitted a complaint to the elections board. The dispute stemmed from a financial disclosure form filled out by Sykes’ husband, a county commissioner in a neighboring area, which listed the congresswoman as residing in his home. Using this disclosure, Zawistowski argued that Sykes should be voting where her husband resides in Columbus, Ohio.
In her defense, Sykes presented the elections board with a sworn affidavit, her driver’s license, her renter’s insurance policy, and other documents to demonstrate her residency in Akron, but she did not attend the hearing held by the Summit County elections board on Thursday.
The issue holds personal significance for Sykes.
"Here I am, a Black woman member of Congress, whose ancestors only obtained the right to vote in 1965. Now someone who doesn’t even know me, with whom I have no connection, feels empowered to challenge my voter registration merely out of personal distaste," Sykes expressed to CNN before the Thursday meeting of the elections board.
The four-person, bipartisan elections board was split equally along party lines, with the matter being referred to the office of the Ohio secretary of state. The board has 14 days to submit the necessary information to LaRose, who will then make the final decision. This raises the question of whether the matter will be resolved before Election Day, which is just 12 days away.
The Republicans questioning Sykes’ eligibility repeatedly referenced an Ohio law that declares, "The place where the family of a married person resides is considered to be the person's place of residence."
A spokesperson for the House Republican campaign committee, Mike Marinella, weighed in with a statement to CNN, asserting, "There are genuine concerns about Emilia Sykes’ voter eligibility, and she failed to show up to address these concerns directly."
However, Sykes’ legal counsel, representing her at the hearing, contested the Republicans’ argument during the proceedings. The lawyer argued that Sykes and her husband’s living arrangements do not violate any laws, and the statute that the Republicans kept citing is based on the assumption that the married person’s residence is also their place of residence, which is not applicable in Sykes’ case.
"She states in her affidavit that she visits him sometimes in Columbus. He visits her sometimes in Akron," Don McTigue, Sykes’ lawyer, stated. "These are two dedicated public servants who are committed to serving their communities and representing their constituents."
The partisan challenge to Sykes' voter registration and ability to cast her ballot in her district is a significant issue in Ohio politics.
The Republicans questioning Sykes' eligibility frequently referenced an Ohio law in their argument, but Sykes' legal counsel contested this by pointing out that the statute does not apply in her case.
