The Democratic Party’s attempt to obstruct the directive was reportedly rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday, which permitted the implementation of a measure that reportedly requires electors to deposit their own ballots in drop boxes.
The court dismissed a challenge to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s directive, which restricts drop box access to individuals who drop off their own ballots, with a 4-3 decision.
The court denied the Ohio Democratic Party’s attempt to obstruct the directive and stated that the party waited an unreasonable amount of time to submit its lawsuit.
“I’m grateful the court has allowed us to proceed with our efforts to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections. 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.” LaRose said.
“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. The court’s decision should reinforce the confidence Ohio voters have in the security, honesty, and accountability of our elections.” he continued.
LaRose’s directive was issued on August 31, and the Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against it on September 27.
The directive stipulated that individuals were permitted to return a ballot for a disabled voter or family member to a county board of elections.
This necessitates that the individual who drops off the ballot attest that they were authorized to return it to the election board office.
Signs containing the guidelines were also mandated to be affixed to the deposit box by election officials.
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