The Academy of Continuing Legal Education presents a program July 15, 2026, Wednesday. This program will provide information on amendments to the statutory requirements of Ohio election law, and an update on Federal and Ohio court decisions affecting Ohio election law for the 2026 general election. The program will include up-to-date Federal court orders, amendments to Revised Code Title 35 and the most current Secretary of State Directives and Advisories. This program has been approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio, Office of CLE, for 6.5 hours of CLE credit, including four hours of general CLE and 2.5 hours of Professional Conduct, and has been submitted to the Secretary of State of Ohio for credit for attending this program, for Board of Elections member and director Additional Instruction as required by the Secretary of State. This credit, if approved, will be in addition to, but does not substitute for, the mandatory "new members instruction" provided by the Secretary of State.
The July 15 program includes:
Recent Legislation, Secretary of State Directives, and Advisories discussing General Assembly actions affecting election law, possibly including requirements for Voter Registration; Early Voting and Absentee Voting, including in-person and mail-in voting. This material will be presented by Aaron Ockerman, the executive director of the Ohio Association of Elections Officials. Elections Counsel of the Secretary of State of Ohio has again been invited to present, as that office has participated for many years. That participation has not yet been confirmed.
Court Decisions Affecting Ohio Election Law is presented this year by William D. Rich, Professor of Law Emeritus of the University of Akron School of Law, and chair of the Board of Elections of Summit County. Professor Rich will present current developments in Ohio and Federal courts as of the date of the program. An interactive discussion with some of the participants in these cases will be encouraged.
The Ohio Election Integrity Commission - A New Authority is presented by Eben O. (Sandy) McNair, Esq., a member of this commission which began operation in 2026 after the termination of the Ohio Elections Commission. Commissioner McNair was a long-time member of the Board of Elections of Cuyahoga County previous to his appointment to this Commission. This section will describe the authority and procedures of the Ohio Election Integrity Commission.
These three sections, for which the Secretary of State has been asked to approve credit for the Board of Elections instruction requirement, will all be presented before the lunch break, so that attendees who do not have an interest in the attorney "Professional Conduct" presentation will be done at 1:20 PM
The mandatory "Professional Conduct" two-and-one-half hour requirement for Ohio attorneys is presented, in two afternoon sections of 90 minutes and 60 minutes, by Magistrate Raymond J. Hartsough of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. Magistrate Hartsough will present an update of "Disciplinary Issues for Attorneys Who Hold Public Office" and will present a new section on "Artificial Intelligence Implications for Attorney Professional Responsibilities" These sections are intended to provide continuing guidance for attorneys, particularly those in public service, as the professional responsibilities of the legal profession continues to evolve.
A course outline is available here.
The seminar location is "Venue South" at the Richfield Conference Center, in the Quality Inn, 4742 Brecksville Road, Richfield, Ohio 44286, on Route 21 immediately south of the Ohio Turnpike exchange with Interstate Route 77, between Cleveland and Akron.
The Quality Inn has made a limited number of rooms available at a group rate. These rooms may be reserved by calling (330) 659-6151, by July 15, 2024, and indicating "Academy of C.L.E. Seminar" group. "information about the hotel"
Price for the six and one-half hours of CLE is $235.00, for early registrations paid before July 3, 2026. Late registrations, received on or after July 3, is $265.00. Non-attorney election officials who will not be attending the "Professional Conduct" portion, may register before July 3 for $180.00. This reduced rate applies to EARLY REGISTRATION ONLY. ALL registrations received July 3 or later will be accepted at the late registration fee of $265.00. The Registration fee includes an electronic copy of the course materials, which will be emailed to each attendee about July 10. Attendees who want the Academy to print the materials and distribute at the program, may order a printed copy of the materials at an additional cost of fifteen dollars, to be paid in advance as indicated on the Registration form.
The Registration fee includes electronic reporting of CLE attendance to the Supreme Court of Ohio, Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The Registration fee also includes electronic reporting of attendance to the Secretary of State for Board of Elections credit, if requested by the attendee. If an attendee requests additional communications or documents to enable that attendee to apply for credit for attending this program with any other State or agency, there is an administrative charge of $50.00 per other State or agency for which communications or documents are requested.
No provision is available for attorney registration for less than the full 6.5-hour block. Attendance will be monitored in compliance with the rules provided by the Ohio Supreme Court. For additional information on registration, email AcademyofCLE@aol.com.
A Registration form that you may download, print, and postal mail
to the Academy with your check, is online here:
“OHIO ELECTION LAW 2026.1 - Outline and Registration Form”
