Secretary of State Frank LaRose issues absentee ballot directive

[RandySF]

RICHLAND CO. - Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent out nearly eight million absentee ballot request forms to Ohio voters before the November 5th General Election. Richland County voters received them last week.

LaRose sent a directive over the Labor Day holiday weekend to county board of elections officials that absentee ballots dropped off in outdoor, official ballot boxes must be delivered by the registered voter.

LaRose wrote in the directive issued on August 31, 2024, "It is important to ensure the integrity of each vote delivered on behalf of an absent voter. The security of the delivery of absentee ballots remains paramount, especially as it applies to the use of unattended drop box receptacles. To ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws, this directive provides that an assistant delivering a ballot for another must sign an attestation that they comply with applicable state and federal law. As a practical matter, this means that only a voter’s personal ballot may be returned via drop box."

"Drop boxes are monitored by video surveillance and typically unstaffed. Therefore, this directive also requires boards to post a notification on each drop box indicating that voter-assisted ballots must be returned inside the board office, where the voter assistant will be asked to complete the attestation form," LaRose wrote.



https://www.wmfd.com/article/secretary-of-state-frank-larose-issues-absentee-ballot-directive/19415

[Botany]

1. "absentee ballots dropped off in outdoor, official ballot boxes must be delivered by the registered voter"

aka voter suppression…. end of story.

[werdna]

2. This applies to dropping off ballots of neighbors, friends, strangers.

"If you return your ballot to the board in person, or if a near relative* delivers it for you, the board of elections must receive your ballot no later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. . .

*Near relative includes the voter’s spouse or the voter’s father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother, or sister of the whole or half blood, or the son, daughter, adopting parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece."
https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/absentee-voting/

I called my county BOE to verify that I could use the ballot box to return my, my wife's and my daughter's ballots and they affirmed. I would recommend that you contact your county BOE to confirm this as well.