Elections board settles effort to disqualify 2 voters

2/23/2010

An effort to disqualify the voting privileges of two Waterville women whose college and work careers have taken them away from Lucas County ended Monday with one voter retaining her right to vote and another canceling her registration.

The Lucas County Board of Elections voted 3-0 to reject the challenge to Lisa Cherry's registration, ruling that she was out of state doing a college-related internship and that it was her intent to return to Waterville.

The other challenge was to Ms. Cherry's sister, Ruthann Cherry, who lives in the Dayton area with her husband.

Ruthann Cherry, 28, submitted a letter to the elections board Monday calling the challenge unfair but requesting to have the registration canceled rather than get into a public airing of her and her husband's plans.

The two women are daughters of Waterville Village Councilman Ann Cherry, a Democrat, and were challenged Jan. 29 by Jan Lowe, a Republican from Waterville.

Ms. Lowe contended that Ruthann Cherry and Lisa Cherry were registered at 7656 Shoemaker Drive, Waterville, but that neither lived there anymore. Lisa is registered as a Democrat. Ruthann is a registered independent.

Records show that both Cherrys voted in the November, 2009, election in which Ann Cherry was re-elected. Ann Cherry came in second among three winners in the council election, with 1,020 votes, 62 votes higher than the highest losing vote-getter, Stephen Imes.

In an affidavit, Lisa Cherry, 25, said she was on a graduate assistantship at Gardner-Webb University, Boiling Springs, N.C., and that she plans to return to Waterville after the position ends May 10.

"Lisa Cherry is away at school and that does not disqualify her from being a registered elector in Lucas County," Board Chairman Patrick Kriner said.

As to Ruthann Cherry, Mr. Kriner said the board determined that Ms. Cherry did not vote in Montgomery County, where Ms. Cherry is living with her husband, Steve, and so there was no evidence of voter fraud.

In her letter, Ms. Cherry said her husband, a member of the Air National Guard, is in pilot training and that they hope to return to Lucas County when his training is finished.

Records submitted by Ms. Lowe show Ruthann Cherry bought a home in Springboro, Ohio, in 2006.