https://medina-gazette.com/news/290071/granger-township-resident-charlie-gaddis-enters-us-house-race/ Jonathan Delozier The Gazette
GRANGER TWP. - Health care reforms and online voting were two policy items discussed Thursday by Granger Township resident Charlie Gaddis, who's thrown his hat into the race to fill Ohio's District 13 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican.
The business owner and financial consultant said he'd like to see an online voting app that allows residents to make their ballot choices starting the weekend before a given election.
"Vote by app, why not?" asked Gaddis, a Highland High School graduate. "You see these huge lines every election cycle, just huge. What I've seen here in Granger runs very efficiently but, in other communities, huge lines to cast a vote. I feel kind of bad Republicans haven't grasped this yet. It goes back to principles. The Republicans want to make sure you're an American. Once you validate that, of course we want you to vote.
"On a vote by app you'd have to register that you're a U.S. citizen, Social Security number, national ID, something like that. You'd have a face print, a fingerprint, a geotag locating where you're at. The ballot changes depending on where you live. It could provide more validation than today's election cycle. I'd want it to wait until the weekend leading up (to the election). There's no rush and it's when everyone is most informed."
After moving on from Highland, Gaddis earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Wittenberg University and then an MBA from Baldwin Wallace University's Executive Program. He now owns his own business and financial consulting firm, Beyond Intelligence.
"I think I kind of watch today's politics and there's very few principled arguments made," he said. "Everything is very partisan, a lot of slogans and I don't think it's serving us well. My intent is to make logical, rational arguments and see if we can make a difference. That's what District 13 residents and all Americans deserve."
The newly drawn District 13 encompasses Medina County, western Summit County including Akron, as well as western and southern Cuyahoga County. However, boundaries are not yet set in stone with pending litigation beginning to flow in from opposition groups, who are attempting to stop the map from taking effect in 2022.
Gaddis enters the Republican primary as former White House adviser and Donald Trump-endorsed Max Miller remains a heavy favorite. Other GOP candidates include attorneys Shay Hawkins and Greg Wheeler, and youth baseball promoter Jonah Schultz.
On the Democratic side, current Ohio State Rep. Emilia Sykes is set to face off in the primary against podcast producer Matthew Diemer.
Regarding Trump's unfounded claims that President Joe Biden gained illegitimate victory in the 2020 general election, Gaddis stopped short of denying the narrative but said the former commander in chief could have better handled the transition of power.
"In my opinion, had he done the traditional transition he'd be in very good shape with as poorly as Biden is performing today," Gaddis said. "As a result, (Trump) is going to have a hard time getting the electoral support he needs. Principle-wise, the question is always, 'Do you support Trump or will Trump support you?' When I make the argument that every American should keep 100 percent of what they earn, I think (Trump) would support that. When I make the argument you should tax imports the same as our products, I think he'd agree.
"I think with our election process and policies, and how it was loosened up, certainly had the potential for weakness. I think we can improve that. Again, it's back to my vote by app policy. I'm totally for validating every American to make sure they all have the easiest voting process possible."
Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.