Ohio Judge Rules Against Frank LaRose In Drop Box Lawsuit Involving Ballot Locations

An Ohio judge has ordered the Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, to allow multiple drop box ballot locations across the state’s 88 counties.

CBS News reported that LaRose initially sought to have only one drop box per county located at the county board of elections office. However, when the Ohio Democratic Party sued him to permit more, he only allowed for additional boxes to be installed at the same location where they were already allowed.

The new ruling states that LaRose can’t limit counties to only one ballot drop box location. In his ruling, District Court Judge Dan Polster noted that the Ohio Secretary of State’s previous order had a “disproportionate effect on people of color” that lived in highly populated counties.

Polster suggested that LaRose’s directive imposed a “significant burden” on their right to vote.

Polster argued that having multiple boxes in only one location could make residents have to travel an unreasonable amount of time out of their way and could result in them forgoing “their right to vote or spend a great amount of time in long lines, leading to a form of voter suppression.”

“While it may be said that the 7,903 registered voters in Noble County may find a single drop box location sufficient, the record demonstrates that the 858,041 registered voters in Cuyahoga County will likely not,” Polster wrote in the court opinion.

Black union and civil rights group, A. Philip Randolph Institute and the League of Women Voters were among the plaintiffs that accused LaRose of violating First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

“Plaintiffs presented considerable evidence that voters in the largest counties will suffer significant burdens as a result of the Secretary’s directive limiting the ability of the county boards to implement bipartisan plans tailored to best administer efficient, safe, and secure voting in their counties,” Polster stated.

The court opinion went on to reveal that LaRose showed strong signs that he will appeal the court’s decision.