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A Lakewood voter feels two poll observers tried to intimidate him by questioning whether he could vote at his polling place.
(File photo)
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- A Lakewood voter said he feels two poll observers tried to intimidate him by questioning whether he could vote at his polling place.
Jon Kozesky, the founder of a Cleveland-based consulting firm, did cast a ballot after the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections confirmed he could vote at Garfield Middle School. But Kozesky -- a former Hillary Clinton grants manager and speechwriter from her time as a Senator in New York -- said he's disappointed because he believes the observers tried to intimidate him.
Kozesky said the observers later identified themselves as volunteers for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. A Board of Elections spokesman could not confirm whether they were volunteers for the Clinton campaign.
"Whichever way I was voting, voter intimidation is never right," he said.
A spokeswoman for Clinton's Ohio campaign was not aware of the incident and could not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Board of Elections later contacted the poll manager at middle school to reiterate the requirement that observers not speak to voters. The polling manager scolded the observers but did not remove them from their roles, Board of Elections spokesman Mike West said.
"I did tell the polling location manager that they needed to keep quiet," West said. "They were reprimanded."
Kozesky is registered to vote in Ohio but recently relocated to Lakewood. So he brought a recent utility bill in accordance with state regulations that require proof of current residency.
When he arrived, a poll worker directed him to a table where the observers and a man were seated. Kozesky thought all three were from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections -- especially after one of the women leafed through his documentation and told him he needed to vote at its headquarters in downtown Cleveland.
Kozesky challenged the observers, who responded by telling him that he needed to sign an affidavit to cast a ballot, he said.
Kozesky called the Board of Elections, and an employee confirmed he should be allowed to vote. The employee also asked him to hand his phone to the observers if they still objected.
The observers relented and told him that they were volunteers for the Clinton campaign, Kozesky said.
The incident left Kozesky dejected with his Election Day experience.
"It's extremely disappointing," he said. "I'm thankful to the Board of Elections for sorting this out."