Fired for voting for Obama? Patricia Kunkle claims she was warned Obama backers 'would be first'

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- A southwest Ohio woman says she was fired three days after the November election because she voted for President Barack Obama.

The woman has filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court seeking damages starting at $25,000 against Q-Mark Inc. and its president. The Dayton-based company is a sales firm representing manufacturers and defense contractors.

The Dayton Daily News ( http://bit.ly/YxE10A ) reports that Patricia Kunkle alleges that company President Roberta Gentile told employees last year that Obama supporters would be the first to be terminated if he got re-elected.

The company says she was laid off for economic reasons and cited uncertainty over U.S. defense spending.

Kunkle had become a full-time employee of the company in May 2012 and says she never received any negative evaluations or disciplinary action.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com