UPDATE: Ohio Sheriff Voter Intimidation
Ohio Sec. of State LaRose’s Unacceptable Response to a Plea for Help
One of the most crushing but central features of Jim Crow rule in the South was the lack of protection of voters when they faced threats and intimidation (or worse).
Officials who were supposed to protect voters would simply look the other way. Lawless and/or violent actors would face zero accountability. And that lack of protection and accountability was one of the key elements that locked the entire system into place.
In case you’re wondering how that played out, my guess is it looked somewhat like what happened in Ohio in the last few days…
Intimidation in Portage County, Ohio
Earlier this week, I wrote about the disturbing situation in Portage County, Ohio, where the sitting sheriff instructed his followers to “write down all the[] addresses of the people” who had Harris/Walz yardsigns in their yards…and some followers began to do so:
Non-partisan voter advocacy groups of Portage County—two League of Women Voters chapters and an NAACP chapter—reached out to meet with Ohio’s Secretary of State to share their concerns about the Sheriff’s actions.
Which makes sense, right?
After all, this is the mission of these groups—to advocate for voters and safe, fair elections.
And since they can’t report their concerns to the Sheriff (or other local law enforcement within the county), it makes the most sense to reach out to the Secretary of State—who manages Ohio’s elections and, one would think, would take action against acts of voter intimidation only weeks before people begin voting.
The LaRose Response
One would think.
But here is the response they received for their completely rational request: (actually, they did not receive this response—this was the response Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose provided to the press):
“[W]e appreciate the invitation and respectfully decline, as the first ballots of Ohio’s general election begin going out tomorrow and early voting gets underway in 18 days."
That’s right…LaRose refused to even meet with these nonpartisan groups about their concern about voter intimidation, because….it’s too close to the election?!?
So, does that mean if other voters or election workers report incidents of intimidation going forward in Ohio, he will say: “sorry, nothing we can do, it’s too close to the election?!?”
Needless to say, in this environment, a good-faith concern about voter intimidation is exactly the type of thing a sitting Secretary of State SHOULD do something about, immediately. And the closer it is to people voting, or if voting is underway, the more urgent the matter.
But believe it or not, LaRose wasn’t done.
He added: “We do hope they include a discussion on the dangerous partisan rhetoric that has resulted in now two assassination attempts against a presidential candidate and several threats of violence directed at Secretary LaRose himself.”
“The Secretary believes we all need to lower the temperature of our political discourse."
So in response to a specific complaint about voter intimidation in their own community, by a law enforcement official, no less, Ohio’s Secretary of State lectures nonpartisan groups (who I have no doubt agree about the overheated rhetoric as well as disapprove of any acts of violence or threats against officials) that they also need to “discuss” unrelated events, that did not take place in their community, but involved himself and the former president?
That’s what he tells them!?!
Imagine any other agency in government responding to a specific complaint like that: “We won’t be addressing your specific concern in your community, but we think YOU should discuss different concerns involving other people, including ME?!!”
Frank, these are your constituents!
They pay your salary.
They have come to you, their Secretary of State, with a very specific concern about voter intimidation that they are unable to address at the local level because a powerful local law enforcement official is the person they are concerned about.
And in the environment we’re in, this issue could very well repeat itself in the coming weeks. In this or other parts of Ohio.
Do your damn job!
And thank you to the local League and NAACP chapters for doing yours’.
If state officials refuse to address this situation, can’t they take it to federal officials as a civil rights violation?
It looks like LaRose isn't up for reelection until 2026, but the sherriff is running in November.
It is probably a longshot, but you can donate to the Dem running for Portage Co. sherriff here:
https://voteforbarber.com/