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As Electoral College Prepares To Vote, Lawsuit Filed Over Whether State Lawmaker Can Also Be Elector

Karen Kasler
House Minority Leader Tracy Heard (D-Columbus) signs the documents recording her vote as an elector for President Barack Obama in the Statehouse in 2012.

One of Ohio’s 18 electors who will cast their votes for Donald Trump today is the target of a lawsuit announced over the weekend. But the situation described in the lawsuit is not new in Ohio.

Elector Christina Hagan is a state representative from Alliance. And Cleveland attorney Subodh Chandra says no one can serve in a state and federal office at the same time. “This is a very clear, blatant violation of the Ohio Constitution, and Rep. Hagan must not, should not betray her constituents by proceeding with an Electoral College vote.”

But this has happened several times before – most recently four years ago, when House Minority Leader Tracy Heard of Columbus and Rep. Chris Redfern, who chaired the Ohio Democratic Party then, were both electors. But Chandra says he thinks this is the first time an elector has been called on this issue. The lawsuit’s order asks to stop Hagan, but none of the other electors, from voting.

The lawsuit will be in Stark County Common Pleas Court Monday morning.

Contact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
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