Ohio GOP Sec. Of State Bans County Election Officials From Offering More Than One Drop Box For Ballots

Cleveland.com reports:

Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday he is banning county boards of elections from offering more than one drop box for completed absentee ballots this November, saying it’s grown too late to make changes to how Ohio will administer this year’s presidential election.

LaRose, a Republican, more than three weeks ago formally asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, also a Republican, for a legal opinion on whether the extra drop boxes were allowed under state law. But LaRose said Wednesday Yost had not yet responded, and that it’s now too late make such an election change.

Voting-rights advocates and elections officials, including in Cleveland, had requested extra drop-boxes at locations such as public libraries as a way to reduce in-person voting lines and relieve pressure on the mail system.

Ohio’s top election official issues directive saying local boards of elections are barred from setting up ballot drop boxes anywhere other than the board of elections offices https://t.co/EactkE4V1q

— Sam Levine (@srl) August 12, 2020

Here it is: Ohio Sec of State just spelled out a restriction to the location of drop boxes that appears nowhere in Ohio statute: “Boards of elections are prohibited from installing a drop box at any other location but the board of elections.”

An absolute disgrace. pic.twitter.com/HXJsQdPtlV

— David Pepper (@DavidPepper) August 12, 2020