For most independent candidates, getting on the ballot largely consists of two things: getting enough valid signatures and not voting in the partisan primary held after they file.

But in the Mahoning Valley things are rarely simple, and there’s a case in each of Trumbull and Mahoning counties to show that.

Signatures play a large factor in the eligibility of Dennis Malloy of Bazetta, who is seeking to run for a Trumbull County commissioner seat.

Malloy turned in petitions with 952 signatures with the Trumbull County Board of Elections initially deeming 704 were valid. He needs 749 to qualify.

Some of the signatures thrown out were counted during a May 20 appeal by Malloy. They were first invalidated because people printed their names, rather than sign in cursive, and other signatures didn’t match what the board had on file.

After affidavits and testimony from some of those people, the board accepted the signatures.

The board was divided on one of Malloy’s petitions with 30 signatures. The board a month earlier had thrown it out in its entirety because a wife signed her husband’s name.

Adding to the mix is the person who circulated the petition was Kevin Wyndham, Trumbull County Republican Party chairman.

Wyndham acknowledged the mistake on his part, saying the husband was standing next to the wife when the petition was signed.

The board has asked the sheriff’s office or an outside agency to look into this for possible election falsification.

On top of that, the board voted 2-2 on whether it previously made the right decision to disqualify Malloy.

During that vote by the board, Democrat Mark Alberini and Republican Kathi Creed voted to keep Malloy off the ballot while Democrat Diana Marchese and Republican Ron Knight voted to put him on. These votes usually fall along partisan lines.

The decision now rests with Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

The board members submitted their responses Monday to LaRose, who has until Sept. 4 to make a decision, according to his office. For the sake of fairness, let’s hope a decision is made well before that.

There is confusion as to how many valid signatures Malloy actually has, and even if the petition circulated by Wyndham is allowed, there’s a question as to how many of those signatures are valid.

A case of an independent candidate in Mahoning County also is strange.

Douglas Bobovnyik had enough signatures to qualify to run for county sheriff.

But there are several other steps needed for sheriff candidates to get certified to the ballot.

Among them was Bobovnyik needed to be a Mahoning County resident for at least one year before he filed for the job.

During a May 26 hearing, the retired Youngstown police officer acknowledged he rented an apartment at a used car lot on Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown beginning March 1, 2019, for the sole reason to establish residency to run for sheriff.

The issue is he also still owns a house on Shamrock Arbor Drive in Salem in Columbiana County. His wife lives there full time, and he spends time there.

When a subpoena was issued for Bobovnyik to appear at the board hearing, he received it wearing a robe in the early morning hours at the Columbiana County home.

Bobovnyik’s property records show he received a homestead exemption for the Columbiana County house, meaning he considers it his principal residence.

To make matters worse for him, his wife’s daughter and son-in-law testified that Bobovnyik lives in Columbiana County. The latter is a sheriff’s deputy.

Also, Bobovnyik failed to submit a required background check to the elections board in time to be certified.

But wait, there’s more.

Bobovnyik voted in Mahoning County in 2004, 2005 and 2008 when he wrote on an affidavit to a judge about his residency that he lived in Columbiana County at the time. His attorney said Bobovnyik made a mistake as to where he lived those years.

It was a bad look for someone seeking to be the county’s top law enforcement official.

The board voted to not certify Bobovnyik and also to refer claims of falsification against him to county law enforcement for a criminal investigation.

Skolnick covers politics for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com