Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has authorized the Summit County Board of Elections to hold a hearing to question Congresswoman Emilia Sykes’ voting eligibility.
The board previously voted 2-2 to investigate a complaint from a resident that alleged Sykes does not live at the Akron address at which she is registered to vote, and instead resides in Columbus. LaRose broke the tie when he notified the board Wednesday to proceed with a hearing, according to the Summit County Board of Elections.
The complaint, submitted by local GOP activist Tom Zawistowski, includes a financial disclosure statement filed by Sykes’ husband that lists Sykes as residing in Columbus with him, said Bryan Williams, a Republican member of the elections board and chair of the Summit County Republican Party.
Sykes is married to Kevin Boyce, a Franklin County commissioner.
“In Franklin County, he filed an ethics disclosure form, which he’s required to, and he lists everybody who is a resident of their address in Columbus, including Emilia Sykes, as a resident,” Williams said.
Sykes represents Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, which encompasses all of Summit County and parts of Stark and Portage counties.
While members of Congress do not legally have to live in the district they represent, Sykes is registered to vote in Akron, he said. Williams and the other Republican elections board member, Ray Weber, both voted in favor of holding a hearing.
“We need to take testimony from her to find out why she should be eligible to vote at an Akron address,” Williams said.
Bill Rich, a Democratic member of the board of elections, voted against holding a hearing alongside Valerie McKitrick, the other Democrat on the board. If an Ohio voter has multiple residences in different counties, it is up to the voter to choose which county to register to vote in, he said.
“You can only vote, of course, in one county … but if you have multiple residences, which one is your residence for purposes of voting, is really, ultimately, up to the voter to choose,” Rich said.
Sykes, a first-term member of congress, is running for re-election this November against Kevin Coughlin, a Republican from Bath. The race is considered one of the most competitive in the country, according to the Cook Political Report.
“Career politicians like Emilia Sykes think the rules don’t apply to them. She may not even be able to legally vote for herself. Why should we trust her to vote on our behalf in Congress?” Coughlin said in a Thursday news release.
Both Williams and Rich added that it is not yet known when the hearing will be held. It will depend on the research needed for the investigation, Williams said.
“It is very unlikely that any of this would be further investigated before Election Day,” Williams said.
However, the Ohio Revised Code states that challenges to voter registration shall be decided no later than 10 days after the board of elections receives the challenge. The challenge is dated Sep. 26, and the board voted on the challenge during its Oct. 1 meeting.
The Sykes campaign released a statement to Ideastream Thursday evening stating, "Emilia Sykes lives in Akron and this desperate lie is an example of how Kevin Coughlin represents everything the voters of Ohio’s 13th Congressional district hate about politics." The campaign also provided Ideastream with scans of a recent pay stub and bill both addressed to Sykes at her listed residence in Akron.
