September 4, 2024
COLUMBUS – Over the holiday weekend, Secretary of State LaRose sent a letter attacking voter freedoms to the leaders of the General Assembly and a directive to election officials, which includes 1) an ask that the General Assembly adopt stricter voter registration requirements, 2) a directive that undercuts the use of drop boxes and decreases access to the ballot for voters with disabilities, and 3) an expansion of voter roll audits that could lead to mass removal of voters. In response, All Voting Is Local Action Ohio State Director Kayla Griffin released the following statement:
“It is high time to acknowledge that Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s policies are bad for Ohio voters and our country’s democracy. His policies have consistently attacked voter freedoms and limited access to the ballot box while continuing to place immense stress on our election systems and officials. His most recent directive will only undercut the use of drop boxes and change election rules less than 90 days before the election. It will also place undue pressure on election officials and lay the groundwork for voters to be easily confused about their rights and freedoms as voters.
“His directive also fits into a national trend that seeks to confuse voters, disrupt our election processes, and intimidate voters by using ‘election integrity units,’ better known as election police. Our elections are safe and secure, and SOS LaRose’s latest directive does nothing but negatively impact Ohio voters.”
Background:In 2020, All Voting Is Local urged Ohio’s Secretary of State to mandate drop boxes for the general election. He went to court trying to prevent ballot drop box usage during a global pandemic. The court affirmed that Ohioans had the right to utilize them and he could approve them in his official capacity as SOS. He ignored the court and passed responsibility off to the state General Assembly. Now that they have enshrined the use of drop boxes into our law, he wants them to repeal it. This comes after a federal court judge struck down part of Ohio’s sweeping 2023 election law, which restricted people from helping voters with disabilities cast absentee ballots.