Two Democratic Ohio election officials fired for disobeying directives

UPI reports that: Secretary of State John Husted, a Republican, has fired two Democrats
from a county board of elections because they voted to extend
early-voting hours.

In a letter released Tuesday, Husted notified Thomas Ritchie Sr. of
Dayton and Dennis Lieberman of Clayton they were being fired from the
Montgomery County Board of Elections. He said they “knowingly and
willfully violated Ohio election law” when they voted to extend
early-voting hours on weekends in their county, in contravention of
Husted’s order to cut back on early-voting hours for the November
election.

Husted’s letter said elections board members may speak out against
such a directive “but they cannot disobey them,” WHIO-TV, Dayton,
reported.

“Your dismissal is not about differing views; it is about you
violating the law … ,” Husted wrote. “You were given subsequent
chances to comply and refused to take corrective action.”