 Outside of election season, July is a busy season for the boards as they work to validate petition signatures for potential issues, parties, and candidates. The Secretary of State's office intakes, sorts, and dates the full and partial petitions, but the boards take over from there. Tony Callagher with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections says his office hired more than 50 signature, verification, and quality assurance staffers this year to prepare for Citizens Not Politicians petitions.