FREMONT, OH (Toledo News Now) - An Ohio Representative's plan to retain his seat after failing to properly file for the Republican primary is drawing criticism and the attention of the local board of elections.
When state Representative Rex Damschroder filed petitions for his re-election he failed to sign two of the forms, invalidating his candidacy. State election law bars any candidate who attempted to file from running as a run-in candidate.
Damschroder then decided his wife Rhonda would run as a write-in candidate. If she won the republican primary, she would then drop out of the race. The Sandusky and Seneca County Boards of Elections would then have to choose a replacement candidate, presumable Rex Damschroder.
One of Damschroder's constituents, John Brewer, filed an official complaint about the plan this week, saying Damschroder and his wife intend to commit election fraud.
"This is what makes America great, anybody can protest anything. But after talking with my attorneys, they said it's a very very weak argument of what he has. Everything we are doing is perfectly legal, there have been precedents set in prior cases, and he says don't worry about it," said Rex Damschroder.
The case will be heard by the Sandusky County Board of Elections on March 5.
