AKRON, Ohio — A county elections board deadlocked Thursday about whether a Democratic member of Congress from Ohio resides in her Akron district, sending the matter before the state's Republican secretary of state to break the tie.
The challenge to the residency of U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes was launched by a Republican political activist. She faces GOP nominee Kevin Coughlin in the Nov. 5 election, a contest considered among the nation’s tightest House races.
Both of the Democrats on the Summit County Board of Elections voted against the challenge while the the two Republicans supported it. The case does not affect Sykes' candidacy and board members seemed to agree that nothing currently stops Sykes from voting for herself in Akron.
Sykes, a first-term member of Congress, did not attend the meeting but submitted a three-page affidavit. She says she has lived on North Howard Street in Akron for 11 years, her driver's license lists that address, her congressional pay stubs are addressed to her there, she attends church nearby and she usually returns to that property when not in Washington, D.C.
The dispute centers around a form filled out earlier this year by her husband, Kevin Boyce, that said she was part of his household in Columbus. He is an elected member of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners in Columbus, which is about 130 miles (209 kilometers) southwest of Akron.
Boyce in late September told the Summit Board of Elections that Sykes does not, in fact, reside with him in Franklin County.
“There's nothing wrong with that, for spouses to have different residences,” her lawyer, Don McTigue, argued to the elections board Thursday. "I hope that we’re well past the day when we are going to make assumptions that a woman’s residence is where her husband lives, or vice versa.”
The Republicans and the Democrats on the board each have two weeks to send a letter about the matter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose, so the dispute almost certainly will not be resolved before the election. As of Thursday morning, Sykes had not cast a ballot, according to the Summit County elections office.
Syles also released the following statement to 3News:
“From the very beginning, our opponent has been pushing lies and trying to run away from his extreme record — today’s hearing is no different. My opponent wants to talk about anything other than his history of corruption, his effort to ban abortion nationwide, and plans to privatize Social Security and slash Medicare.These partisan games are a disservice to the voters in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District and the latest in a coordinated effort to rob them of their voice.
I am a proud daughter of Akron and I am grateful to call this community my home. Anyone who says otherwise is purposely spreading a deeply offensive lie for political purposes. This attempt to disenfranchise my vote only serves to distract from the issues that are of top concern to this community - lowering costs, keeping our communities safe, quality affordable health care, and protecting our freedoms and democracy. I will vote in this election as is my legal and constitutional right and I encourage all eligible voters to do the same.”
Additionally, her opponent, Kevin Coughlin, also released the following statement:
“It's bad that Emilia Sykes got caught lying about where she lives, but even worse that she couldn't return to our district to attend her own hearing. If she doesn't live in Northeast Ohio, why should we trust her to be our voice in Congress? My family and I have lived here and staked our future here for generations, and I'll be proud to be a voice for my neighbors in the 13th District.”
