I-Team: Why were blank ballots brought to a bar the day before the election?
ELYRIA, Ohio (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has found a Lorain County poll worker was caught on camera with ballots into a bar.
A polling place manager could be seen on late Monday with bags of blank ballots in a bar across the street from the Lorain County Board of Elections, officials confirmed.
So we investigated, and so did the Lorain County Board of Elections and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department.
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We found the video was captured the day before Election Day at the MAHD House Bar & Grille.
The owner took part in a podcast, sounding the alarm and saying, “I don’t know what just happened but I’m a little nervous.”
Security video shows two men walking up, and one has multiple big bags in his arms. The owner said one man ordered a drink and a meal and video shows him at a table with those bags of ballots.
In that podcast, the owner went on to say, “It says right on the side of it that it’s ballots. I mean, we’re right across the street from the Lorain County Board of Elections. I’ve been here seven years — ain’t never seen nobody bring no ballot bags in.”
So, the I-Team started asking questions. We found the man with the bags of ballots worked as a manager of a polling place. Officials said he had about 50 provisional, or back-up, ballots. Those get filled out by voters if they have some issue and can’t vote with the voting machine.
We called the Lorain County Board of Elections.
“Why would a poll worker even have ballots the night before Election Day?” we asked.
Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams told us it’s not unusual for poll workers to take some supplies home — but they shouldn’t be taken to a bar.
Multiple officials identified that poll manager as Mark Provenza, a former local law director.
“Poll workers typically pick up supplies — not just in Lorain County, but across the state — before an Election Day,” Adams said.
We also asked, “Would you expect better judgment from somebody who’s a manager or a poll worker in general?”
Adams answered, “I would absolutely expect better judgment from a manager. And this person has been removed from their position because of that.”
The bar owner also said, “I’m telling you, when I seen it, I went, ‘This does not look right.’”
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The board of elections said all of those bags have seals and numbers. The board checked and found no tampering with the ballots. And the board found all ballots were accounted for, as well. None had been lost or thrown away.
Still, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department also investigated.
Back at the MAHD House, the bar owner also made it clear he didn’t want to get caught up in any funny business.
“Just for my own safety, I want to document it, so it’s all documented,” he said.
Officials told us that poll manager said he had gone to the bar to wait for a ride.
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