PORTAGE COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) – The Portage County Sheriff’s Office has been removed from providing election security for in-person absentee voting after a social media post from the sheriff went viral last weekend.
According to Chair of the Board of Elections, Randi Clites, a motion was made Friday morning to remove the sheriff’s department and the motion passed 3-1.
This motion will remove from the sheriff’s office’s presence from the Board of Elections office in Ravenna for the entirety of early voting as well as absentee voting.
Chair Clites also released the following statement regarding the motion:
This decision comes less than a week after Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski posted on social media saying, in part, he would “write down all the addresses of the people who had her [Vice President Kamala Harris’] signs in their yards!”
After receiving backlash from the Portage County community and beyond, Sheriff Zuchowski put up another social media post.
According to Chair Clites, the Board of Elections will either utilize private security or Ravenna Police Department for security during early and absentee voting.
No word yet on if the sheriff will provide security at polling locations on Election Day, but 19 News has reached out to the Portage County Board of Elections for those details.
19 News reached out to Sheriff Zuchowski for a comment but has not yet heard back.
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