In Licking County, if you need to understand the election process, learn the art of showing sheep or trace your ancestors in the old cemetery next door, there’s one person to ask: Bev Hansel.
To strangers, she is the warm, friendly face at the front desk of the Licking County Board of Elections. To friends and neighbors, she’s the person you can always count on.
Hansel has worked at the Licking County Board of Elections for more than two decades. Aside from registering voters, proofing ballots, and working with candidates on their financial reports, Hansel greets everyone with a smile.
“I can’t tell you some people’s names, but I can tell you they might have a dog or grandkids,” Hansel said. “It’s just little things like that that make them happy.”
During the November 2024 election, over 30,000 people walked through the building’s basement to vote in a month’s time with no issues, Hansel said. She is qualified for retirement, but as long as there are things that need to be done, Hansel said she will continue working.
“People ask me, are you ready to retire? And I say, why would I want to retire? I need a reason to get up in the morning, and this is my reason,” Hansel said. “I love my job.”
Growing up on a farm in Muskingum County taught her to be gritty, but it also taught her to appreciate the small-town life and friendly neighbors. She moved to Granville after she met and married Larry Hansel nearly 50 years ago.
“It was a blind date and 55 miles in between,” Hansel said. “One of those blind dates that worked out 47 years ago.”
The two live on 20 acres, raising cattle and making hay on the property across the street. Bev and Larry have a son, daughter and four grandchildren, who they often take to athletic games, hikes at Blackhand Gorge or kayak trips on Mirror Lake.
As a child, Hansel was heavily involved in 4-H and wanted to ensure that both her children and grandchildren had access to the developmental program as they grew up. Both of her children showed animals, starting with small rabbits and graduating with market steers and cattle.
While Hansel showed sheep as a young girl, her mother advised another club. Now, alongside her daughter, Hansel advises the 4-H club “Kids and Kritters,” teaching a group of around 20-30 kids the skills they need to live independently, lead fearlessly and most importantly, how to lean on one another.
Hansel encourages kids to step out of their comfort zones and try new things. Larry compares it with bungee jumping: after getting over the initial fear and taking the leap, having the confidence to do more.
“She really puts a lot of effort into making sure that you start a project, complete it, and have that feeling of accomplishment,” Larry said.
The 4-H club runs from age 9-19, but the relationships it creates run deeper.
“It’s bittersweet when they’re gone, but they’re still my kids,” Hansel said. “They still come, they still give me hugs, no matter where they’re at.”
Kayla Jones, Hansel’s daughter and the senior organization director for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said that her mother is always encouraging the kids to be comfortable and confident.
“She’s a champion behind the scenes,” Jones said.
This holds true for the way Hansel lives her life. She offers a helping hand and open heart to anyone who needs it. If something needs to be done, she will tackle it, and she’ll do it right. So when the Fredonia Cemetery administrator died and they needed a new caretaker, Hansel offered her services.
“It’s one of those jobs that needs to be done,” Hansel said. “Living in the township for as long as we have, a lot of the people in the cemetery I knew, way back when. So taking care of things like that and making sure that they’re respected is the main thing.”
So far, Hansel and others have worked to take pictures of all the headstones and keep records of the people buried there, but Hansel says there’s more work to do.
“You just go and do,” Hansel said. “You don’t say, ‘no, I’ll wait till later,’ you do it now because tomorrow might not come. You do what you can at this point in time.”
Mia Fischel writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.