Mahoning elections chair takes unsafe building claim to Secretary of State
YOUNGSTOWN The Mahoning County Board of Elections (MCBOE) chairman penned a response letter to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose regarding the condition and safety of the current board of elections building.
According to a news release on Thursday, MCBOE Chairman David Betras replied to a letter from Secretary LaRose, who inquired about current security and safety standards in place at the current Board of Elections building.
In the letter sent to Chairman Betras, Secretary LaRose references the incident at the Mahoning County Board of Elections building on September 29, 2025, ahead of election day on November 4, 2025.
Additionally, LaRose asks the following questions:
- Are the board of elections' facilities in compliance with Directive 2025-29? If not, what specific shortfalls exist?
- What immediate options are available to the board to address these shortfalls?
- What are your long-term plans?
- Has the water incursion issue from September 29 been resolved?
- Moving forward, are you keeping your voting machines on-site at the board of elections or relocating them to another secure location to minimize the risk of water damage?
During the September 29 incident, a water leak in the same room as the vote-counting machines forced staff to move equipment and delay testing scheduled for the same day. However, no damage was reported to the vote-counting machines.
Water to the building was temporarily shut off to repair the water line, but has since been restored.
At the time of the incident, Chairman Betras told 21 News that he believed the facility, located on Oak Hill Avenue in Youngstown, was unfit for elections.
Within the Thursday release, Betras said," For several years, I have repeatedly warned the Mahoning County Commissioners that the Board of Elections building was deteriorating and that a serious infrastructure failure was likely. Nearly one year before the September 29 pipe leak, I specifically raised the possibility of exactly this kind of incident."
Betras continued in the release, claiming that some systems in the facility have just recently become compliant with state recommendations, and others will be made compliant soon.
"Regarding compliance, the Board recently completed a cybersecurity audit and is finalizing all required documentation... The fire suppression system was brought into compliance only recently and only after significant delay at the county level," said Betras.
Betras continued, claiming that the Board is awaiting the completion of an alarm system upgrade, which he says should be completed by December 1.
Mahoning County Commissioners have previously said that they are exploring options for a new building to house the Mahoning County Board of Elections, but also cautioned that finding and preparing an appropriate site would take time.
"The bottom line is that without a new home for the Mahoning County Board of Elections, we remain at a significant and unacceptable risk," said Betras in his letter to Secretary LaRose.
21 News reached out to Mahoning County Commissioner Geno DiFabio for comment, who says that conversations surrounding the current board of elections facility are ongoing.
"This has been a month-long conversation. We've done our part to satisfy the directive to bring the building to compliance, and we have another meeting scheduled with the Mahoning County Board of Elections soon," said DiFabio.
You can read the letter penned by Chairman Betras below.
