Paul Adams elected president of Ohio Association of Election Officials

Paul Adams, director of the Lorain County Board of Elections, is the new president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials, according to a news release.

The Ohio Association of Election Officials represents and advocates for election professionals throughout Ohio.

Founded in 1949, the Ohio Association of Election Officials is entering its 75th year.

Adams, a Democrat, follows two other Lorain County election officials who previously served as presidents of the Ohio Association of Election Officials: Republicans Robert Wilson, who was elected in 1989; and Marilyn Jacobcik, who was elected in 2009.

“I am honored to have been selected by my fellow election officials to serve as president in such an important election year and look forward to working together with our bipartisan leadership team,” Adams said in the release. “(The year) 2024 will be a busy year for election officials throughout Ohio.

“I plan to focus on helping prepare election officials for the upcoming challenges of this year’s elections as well as help educate voters on the voting process. In particular, I am hoping to help spread information on new voting rules, such as the new photo ID requirement that was implemented last year, but is still new to many voters.”

Adams will continue to serve as the director of the Lorain County Board of Elections, a position he has held for the past 14 years.

He previously served on the national executive committee for the Election Infrastructure Information Analysis Center from 2019 to 2021, and in the Elections Division of the Ohio Secretary of State from 2009-2010.