A special election with just one candidate on the ballot cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some state lawmakers are trying to prevent that from ever happening again. Rep. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, hopes passage of a new state law will avoid what he called the future waste of taxpayer money on special elections that involve just one candidate on the ballot. The proposal, which Koehler co-sponsored, arose last year when Democratic 8th District candidate Corey Foister dropped out of the race. A special election was required to pick a replacement, but only one Democrat, Steven Fought, stepped forward to run. Clark County Board of Elections Director Jason Baker said the resulting Sept. 13 special election was mandated by law, and local boards had no choice.
That one election, with just one candidate’s name on it, cost taxpayers $340,814.65. In Clark County alone it cost the board $65,978.13, though within a month the state reimbursed Clark County and other counties in the 8th District — Butler, Darke, Miami and Preble — for the cost of the special election.
Baker said cost was not the only problem. The special election was a big distraction for the Board of Elections as the staff was preparing for the November general election.
Full Article: Springfield leaders want to avoid special election costs.