WARREN – The Trumbull County Board of Elections today voted unanimously to reject a protest filed by Republican state Rep. Mike Loychik challenging the candidacy of Jennifer Donnelly, who is running as an independent to take him on in the Nov. 8 election for the 65th Ohio House District seat.

Donnelly said she was pleased with the outcome; Loychik said “no comment” when asked by this newspaper for a response.

Loychik, R-Bazetta, wrote previously to the board of elections that Donnelly isn’t really an independent so she isn’t eligible to be on the ballot.

The elections board has Donnelly registered at 361 Stahl Ave. in Cortland, which is in the 65th District. Donnelly registered to vote at that location on Sept. 27, 2003, according to her certificate of registration on file at the elections board.

In Loychik’s letter, he said a “True People Search’s online database reveals that Ms. Donnelly also resides in Niles, Ohio. I am challenging Ms. Donnelly’s residency and urge the Trumbull County Board of Elections to investigate this claim as well.”

Loychik added that various Trumbull County Democratic Party members assisted Donnelly in circulating petitions on her behalf, the local Democratic Party held a petition-signing event July 28 at party headquarters in McKinley Heights for her and the Ohio Residents Database lists her as being affiliated with the Democratic Party.

“Clearly, Ms. Donnelly is in violation of the requirements to run as an independent as she has deep ties to the Democrat Party,” Loychik wrote.

Donnelly previously said she wasn’t affiliated with either party and rejected a proposal by the Trumbull Democratic Party to endorse her.

The district includes large sections of Trumbull and Ashtabula counties and favors Republicans by about 23 percent based on partisan statewide voting trends during the past decade.

Loychik beat Randy Law of Warren Township, a former state legislator and ex-Trumbull County Republican Party chairman, in the Aug. 2 primary for the seat. Loychik received 71 percent of the vote.

No Democrat filed for the seat so if Donnelly had been disqualified, Loychik would run unopposed.