Born in Fostoria, Charlie was reared on a farm in Seneca County near McCutchenville. After graduating from Mohawk High School (Sycamore, OH), Charlie later attended The College of Wooster where he earned his B.A. in English. Some years later he broadened his education with an M.A. from Bowling Green State University in Mass Communication, additional graduate work at the University of Virginia, and doctoral studies in Mass Communication at Bowling Green. Over the course of his life Charlie has worked in broadcasting, academia and corporate communications. In addition he has worked at a number of jobs in order to pay the bills while attending college and grad school. In the early 1980's, Charlie served as a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives but chose not to run for re-election in 1984. After a 26 year "sabbatical," Charlie has decided to run for Ohio Secretary of State as a member of the Libertarian Party of Ohio.
He and his wife, the former Patricia Barth of Upper Sandusky, have been married for 41 years and currently reside on a 5.5 acre "patch of paradise" in Northern Wood County. Their two children are married and have parented "the world's most fabulous grandchildren." Kelly is married to Kevin Babcock, and they live in Butler County with their children Shaun and Erin. Rory "P.J." is married to Heather Sullivan-Earl, and they welcomed Sullivan to the family in April 2009. Charlie knows that he has been blessed with such a beautiful family.
Climbing into the political arena after a quarter-century absence was not an easy decision for Charlie. The unrestrained growth of big government and the failure of career politicians to serve the people convinced Charlie that he had to switch affiliation to a party of principle...one that would honor, obey and respect the Constitution. He wanted a party that would get out of the peoples' way and allow us to function as best we could. He wanted a party that would live by its principles by reducing taxes, shrinking government,
Charlie Earl is dedicated to the principle that the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Ohio provide the fundamental basis for self governance in our state and in our nation. He believes, further, that any law, action, rule or regulation that violates either Constitution should not be implemented or enforced. In addition, Charlie pledges that he will not willingly engage in any activity as Secretary of State for Ohio that does not conform with both Constitutions.
Elections: The primary purpose of the Secretary of State's office is to oversee the electoral process in the State of Ohio. Dedicated to enforcing free, fair and efficient elections, Charlie will strive to insure that every legal state citizen who is registered to vote can rest assured that her/his vote will be counted fairly and efficiently...and once for each election. Those who chose to willfully skirt, break or violate Ohio's registration, voting and tallying laws will be vigorously prosecuted. The right to vote is a privilege that must be cherished, honest and forcefully protected.
Access: Ohioans must have legitimate choices when making their voting decisions, therefore as Secretary of State, Charlie will address efforts to attain ballot status in a pro-active manner. In other words, the "benefit of the doubt" will always be in favor of the petitioner rather than a stance that assumes all petitions are corrupt, inadequate or incomplete.
Apportionment: As Secretary of State, Charlie Earl will have a seat on the Apportionment Board—the body responsible for redrawing legislative districts following the census. As a member of a third party, the Libertarian Party, Charlie can play a pivotal role in the redistricting process. He will, in effect, be the swing vote that assures that NO backroom deals or incumbent-protection districts prevail.
Business: The Secretary of State's office is the entity that is responsible for filing, registering and licensing most businesses that function within the state. Charlie will streamline the process for small startups so that they can become productive contributors to the Ohio economy more quickly. He will, when applicable, "drop the hammer" on those enterprises who violate their contractual obligations and do harm to their customers and to the business environment in the state.
Charlie will administer the office of the Secretary of State for Ohio fairly, effectively and efficiently.