Out of 35,000 precinct election officials in Ohio this year, five were awarded the Ohio Secretary of State’s Precinct Election Officials Red Carpet award this year for services “above and beyond” the call of duty. And this year, two out of those five honorees came from Delaware County.
Larry Fraker (pictured on the left) and John Rybka (right) accepted their awards Tuesday, Oct. 16, from Rebecca Stanfill, the Central Ohio Regional Liaison for the Secretary of State’s office.
Fraker, in the nomination submitted by his Delaware County Board of Elections colleague Bronwen Evener, was cited for his excellence as the BOE’s who keeps the absentee ballot world running smoothly.[widgets_on_pages id=1]
“We have given him the title of ‘Machine Whisperer,’” wrote Evener, “because when Larry touches or talks to the machines, everything works great. He has also developed a guide for us to use (including pictures of his hands, if we ever have a problem when he is not here).”
Rybka distinguished himself this year for working the August special election with a 105-degree fever that landed him in the hospital.
“That night he was taken to the hospital and had emergency surgery,” Evener wrote. “As he was going under in the operating room, the surgeon asked why he kept looking at the clock and he told the doctor he had to be back at work…to help with the election. Even though we don’t support that type of loyalty, when you come across someone that wil give you their all, we believe it deserves recognition.”
For more information about the Delaware County Board of Elections and the work they do all year, please go to: https://boardofelections.co.delaware.oh.us/.
