Three Trumbull Republican candidates who weren't certified to appear on the May 6 ballot by the Trumbull County Board of Elections after the February 5 deadline, will now appear on the ballot.

Stephanie Penrose, director of the Trumbull Co. Board of Elections, said the three Republican candidates — David Burnham for Warren Council at-Large; Ashley McBride for Warren 5th Ward;  and Brian Kropp, Newton Falls 1st Ward seat —were initially invalidated for insufficient valid signatures. Burnham and McBride were initially disqualified because of "wrong party" signatures, Penrose added.

The error was first brought to the BOE attention by former Trumbull County Commissioner Niki Frenchko after her challenge over the propriety of the original vote regarding three Republican candidates.

Frenchko said when she failed to hear back from Trumbull County Republican Party's executive committee Marleah Campbell and Arno Hill, she reached out to the democratic chairman Mark Alberini, who took the concern to the prosecutor's office.

Frenchko provided the petitions for those running for office with the board of elections that states, "For purposes of signing candidate petitions for these parties, the person signing is considered to be a member of a political party if the signer voted in that party’s primary election, or did not vote in any other party’s primary election, in the preceding two calendar years."

Frenchko wrote to the board to protest the denial, pointing out the error in the board's decision to non-certify the candidates.

Penrose told 21 News, "It was pointed out to us that we were perhaps misinterpreting the Election Official Manual when it came to party affiliation and signing petitions, so we requested an opinion from the prosecutor's office. They stated that we had misinterpreted it and we immediately called a special meeting to discuss the matter."

Frenchko said she was "...thankful that our Trumbull County city council candidates, Burnham, McBride, and Kropp, were certified, and I will do everything in my power to help candidates and promote a fair election process."

Because of the prosecutor's opinion, the board voted to reinstate the candidates Burnham and McBride.

Kropp's petition was invalidated based on printed signatures instead of the required actual signatures of those signing the petitions. 

Penrose said Kropp brought in an affidavit from the signer stating that he had indeed affixed his name to the petition. This affidavit was the remedy for his insufficient number of valid signatures, and the board voted to place him on the ballot.

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