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Dear Editor:
As Hamilton County Republican Chairman, I normally refrain from commenting on internal matters of the Democratic Party. However, when attempts are made to unfairly blame our professional election office staff for errors that clearly originated elsewhere, I feel compelled to set the record straight.
The facts are straightforward: County party chairmen must provide accurate delegate counts to the Election Office by the established deadline. In this instance, Democrat County Chairman Josh Lowry provided incorrect delegate numbers, losing Hamilton County Democrats 18 delegates.
The Hamilton County Election Office simply processes information provided by the parties. They are not allowed to audit or second-guess official submissions from county party leadership. Responsibility for accuracy lies solely with the county chairman and state party.
Instead of taking ownership, there have been attempts to deflect blame onto our bipartisan Election Office and Election Board. This is both unfair and inaccurate.
The deadline for corrections passed before Lowry caught his mistake. The appropriate response would be for Democratic Party leadership to acknowledge their error and take responsibility. That is what accountability looks like.
Our election office deserves better than to be scapegoated for errors they did not commit.
Mario Massillamany
Hamilton County Republican Party Chair