Board of Elections Director Steps Back from Helm

January 8, 2026 by Allison Wilson

Geauga County Board of Elections Director Michelle Lane marked her final day in office December 2025, closing the book on a 21-year career that took her from volunteer poll worker to overseeing some of the county’s most challenging elections.

Lane, who grew up in Chardon Township, said she steadily worked her way up through the ranks during her time with the board. She began as a poll worker before being hired part time, then full time.

She became deputy director in 2020 and was named director in 2021, she said.

Lane said she did not even realize poll workers were paid when she first signed up.

“In the beginning, I just thought it was community service that you could do and I was asked by someone I know who worked at the board of elections, would I be interested, and I said, ‘Sure, I’d be glad to try it out,’” Lane recalled.

Over the years, she said she has done nearly every job in the office at one point or another.

During her tenure, Lane adapted to sweeping changes in election technology.

“The security and the electronics — I mean, the technical aspects of elections have changed drastically in the time I’ve worked for the board of elections,” she said. “I don’t know if you remember the old voting machines where you’d go in and the curtain would close and you’d push down the levers and then you would pull the crank over and it would record your vote on a sheet of paper in the back.”

That was the system in use when she was a poll worker, Lane said. Today, the board uses DS200 ballot scanning machines.

She has had to replace a lot of the outdated equipment over the years, she said.

“Technology always obsoletes one item and then you have to go on and purchase another,” Lane added.

One of the improvements she is most proud of, however, may surprise people.

“I’m really proud of this little S-hook that I found,” she said.

After a voter casts a ballot, the stub is torn off and placed into an envelope attached to the side of the ballot scanner, Lane explained.

“I kept thinking, ‘I don’t want to see these gummed up with masking tape or duct tape to keep these envelopes on. So, I looked and looked and looked and I found these little S-hooks on Amazon that we could punch two holes in this large envelope and then hang it on the (scanner) so it wouldn’t have tape all over it,” she said. “I was very pleased with that.”

While the detail may seem minor, Lane said it helps keep equipment clean and functional.

Looking back, Lane said she will miss both her coworkers and the election process itself.

“We just have a great team here. And they all know when they have to step up to the plate and work beyond the norm,” she said, recalling an election when staff did not leave until nearly 1 a.m. due to the number of write-in votes.

While she believes it is the right time to retire, it feels bittersweet, Lane said.

“I’m going to travel a little bit and I think I’m going to paint and do a few other things that I haven’t necessarily had the time to do in the past,” she said, adding she looks forward to visiting family around the country.

When reflecting on the most significant challenges she has encountered during her career, one event immediately stood out.

“I can actually tell you, the most historical thing I’ve experienced — and I think it was historical — was when (Gov. Mike DeWine) closed down the elections, I think it was like 10:30 at night on March 17,” she recalled.

Ohio’s March 2020 primary election was postponed amid concerns about large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“During this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis, to conduct an election (on March 17) would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus. As such, Health Director Dr. Amy Acton will order the polls closed as a health emergency,” DeWine said in a March 16, 2020, press release. “While the polls will be closed tomorrow, Secretary of State Frank LaRose will seek a remedy through the courts to extend voting options so that every voter who wants to vote will be granted that opportunity.”

They ultimately shifted to an all-mail primary, Lane said.

“Most of the offices were closed or running on a very small staff. My office administrator and I were driving all over Cleveland, you couldn’t find gloves, you couldn’t find masks, you couldn’t find anything,” she said, adding they ended up using deli gloves.

“It was all we could find,” she said.

While navigating a global pandemic marked one of the most historic challenges of her career, it was not the only major hurdle Lane faced. In 2022, the board of elections sued the county over design flaws in the new Geauga County Office Building that rendered the space unsuitable for election operations.

“That was a lot,” she said. “It all worked out. We are glad to work with whoever we need to work with.”

One of the most common misconceptions about the board of elections is that it only operates on Election Day for the primary and general elections, Lane said.

In reality, the work is constant and complex, she said.

“It takes months and months to prepare for an election. It seems like you finally get it closed out, wrapped up, the audit’s done and it’s time to start another one,” Lane said. “It is a lot more than a lot of people think.”

Preparation includes approving candidate petitions, proofreading and laying out ballots, and overseeing campaign finance reporting, among many other responsibilities, she said.

“It’s like a big puzzle, really. We rely on a lot of other county departments when we carry out an election,” Lane said, listing the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, county Department of Emergency Services and county Automatic Data Processing board, which operates under the Geauga County Auditor’s Office, as examples.

(ADP does) a lot of our technology for us,” Lane said. “I think it’s really a joint effort of county departments when we have an election.”

As she steps away from the director role, Lane offered advice for her successor, particularly to avoid micromanaging staff.

“They all know what they need to do. Just trust and verify,” she said. “I think a director really needs to know their staff and understand there’s a lot of stress in elections the public doesn’t necessarily always see.”