Cuyahoga County adjusts to ballot drop box rule changes heading into election

CLEVELAND — Four weeks before the start of early voting, Boards of Elections across Ohio find another thing on their plate they have to deal with: a directive by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose that changes who can deliver a vote by mail ballot to a BOE drop box and the extra step that must be taken if the ballot that person is dropping off isn't their own.

"A recent court ruling really blew open a loophole that could be used for what's called ballot harvesting," LaRose told News 5 Monday. "That's illegal in Ohio, I have to make sure that we prevent ballot harvesting and so that the way that we're doing that is simply saying these drop boxes, if you're going to return your own ballot to the Board of Elections then that's fine, you can return your own ballot. If you're returning others ballots, if you're returning a family members or if you've been designated by a handicapped Ohioan to return their ballot you just got to bring it inside to the Board of Elections, sign this little affidavit so that we know that you're following the law."

That directive only adds, however, to the lines that surround the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections each presidential election cycle. Lines of people looking to vote early in person and lines of cars looking to drop off those vote-by-mail ballots.

In the past, to ease congestion, the Board of Elections used bipartisan teams of workers to collect ballots roadside during early voting hours. Something on Monday the Board voted again to do but this time also supplying those workers with the needed forms should someone be dropping off someone else's ballot. They just weren't sure that this was a step they'd even be allowed to take.



https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cuyahoga-county-adjusts-to-ballot-drop-box-rule-changes-heading-into-election