(8-19-25) Yesterday the Mercer County Board of Elections disqualified five local candidates petitions for the November election.

  • Mercer County Educational Service Center board member Tess Mescher,
  • Marion Local School board member Jesse Rose
  • Coldwater School board president Jim Miller and board member Greg Bruns
  • Rockford Village Council Cary Miller  

The board voted in accordance with the revise code. The 5 candidates were not certified to the ballot.

Revise Code 3501.38(E)(1) states: On each petition paper, the circulator shall indicate the number of signatures contained on it, and shall sign a statement made under penalty of election falsification that the circulator witnessed the affixing of every signature, that all signers were to the best of the circulator’s knowledge and belief qualified to sign, and that every signature is to the best of the circulator’s knowledge and belief the signature of the person whose signature it purports to be or of an attorney in fact acting pursuant to section 3501.382 of the Revised Code. On the circulator’s statement for a declaration of candidacy or nominating petition for a person seeking to become a statewide candidate, for a statewide initiative or a statewide referendum petition, or for a party formation petition described in division (A)(1)(b) of section 3517.01 of the Revised Code, the circulator shall identify the circulator’s name, the address of the circulator’s permanent residence, and the name and address of the person employing the circulator to circulate the petition, if any.

At Monday’s board meeting, the village, township, ESC and school board candidates were certified, along with the levies and one write-in for Washington Township Trustee. The City of Celina candidates were previously certified. 

46 Day Notice