BUCYRUS―After First Ward Councilman Brenton Potter declared his candidacy as a Republican for an at-large seat on the council, he was careful to gather more than the required 50 signatures to place him on the May 2nd primary. Potter turned his petition into an election board worker, who put the petitions in a large envelope that was sealed and signed by Potter to be verified.
Potter didn’t notice that he forgot to sign the third page, which held about 16 signatures. Each page contains 24 signatures. Therefore, he only needed two more signatures from that third page to validate his candidacy.
A simple oversight by Potter caused his petition to have what the board called a ” fatal error.”
Potter learned from a fellow councilman that his petition would not be honored.
Potter immediately went in person to the Board of Elections. They could not offer a remedy to place him on the May 2nd ballot. His only option is to be a write-in candidate in the general election.
The Board of Elections sent him a letter declaring the “fatal error” as the reason he will not appear on the upcoming ballot.
Potter went out in a snowstorm to get the final petition signatures and is heartbroken.
In a statement released to Crawford County Now, Potter said:
“Finding out one of the three petitions I filed with the board of elections was denied was a big shot to the gut. I made a tiny mistake by not signing the last part of one set of paperwork. That mistake came at a high cost. Over the last week or so, after finding out, I’ve been silently trying to navigate my emotions and find whatever avenue I can to continue to be a part of this council for the citizens who have always had my back and believed in me. I feel like I’ve given this community a part of my soul. In the past 14 years, I’ve owned a small business here. I’ve tried to give back—every chance I can, even if I spread myself thin. So I plan to file as a write-in candidate for an at-large seat in the November general election. I have faith in the people of Bucyrus that voters will turn out on election day and have my back by writing my in my name for council-at-large. I’d rather have a fighting chance than be told I have no chance because I overlooked one seemingly minor detail.”
Crawford County Now will continue to provide election updates.