“Political activists tried once again to dismantle the safeguards we’ve put in place, specifically in this case against ballot harvesting”
The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a measure to take effect mandating that voters place their own ballots in drop boxes, rejecting an effort from the Democratic Party to block the directive.
The court ruled 4-3 to dismiss a challenge to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s directive restricting drop box access to people dropping off their own ballots. The court said that the Ohio Democratic Party waited an unreasonable amount of time to file its suit and denied the effort to block the directive.
“I’m grateful the court has allowed us to proceed with our efforts to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections,” LaRose said in response to the ruling. “Political activists tried once again to dismantle the safeguards we’ve put in place, specifically in this case against ballot harvesting, and they’ve been rejected.”
“This is the same policy that’s been used successfully in other states, and it’s designed to protect both individuals and election officials from accusations of illegal voting,” he added. “The court’s decision should reinforce the confidence Ohio voters have in the security, honesty, and accountability of our elections.”
Ohio Democratic Party chair Elizabeth Walters lamented the decision.
“Today’s decision is disappointing not just for us as a party, but for Ohioans who will be forced to jump through unnecessary hoops to exercise their right to vote in this historic election,” she said.