Portage board removes deputies from in-person voting security following sheriff’s comments

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Portage County election officials have banned sheriff's deputies from providing security during in-person voting, the latest fallout from Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski's statements involving Kamala Harris supporters.

The board of elections voted 3-1 Friday to remove deputies from its office during early voting, which begins Oct. 8. The board's office is at the county administration building, 449 S. Meridian St.

The board is considering using private security, which is at the building, or seeking Ravenna police, said Randi Clites, the board member who sought the move, in a Facebook post.

Clites is a Democrat, while Zuchowski is the incumbent Republican running against Democrat Jon Barber in November.

Zuchowski gained national attention earlier this month when he encouraged people on his Facebook page to write down the addresses of Harris supporters who have her signs in their yards.

"When people ask me what's gonna happen when the Flip-Flopping Laughing Hyena Wins??" Zuchowski wrote. "I say write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live. We'll already have the addresses of their New families who supported their arrival!"

Clites cited the statement as a reason to avoid officers at the office.

"As board members, we are charged with preventing violence and disorder at the polls and to conduct a safe and secure election process," she wrote. "It is clear by public comments in the past week there is perceived intimidation by our sheriff against certain voters."

Republican Amanda Suffecool voted against the issue. Repeated attempts to reach her and Zuchowski were unsuccessful Sunday. The Kent Record-Courier reported that Suffecool cited the cost of adding security.

"Any shift is then going to be over and above the budget," the paper quoted Suffecool. "I'm very uncomfortable in voting on something that you don't know what the impact is, and it's done for perception."

Clites and Denise Smith, the board's Democrats, voted in favor of removing the deputies from the board's office, as did Doria Daniels, a Republican.

"Election integrity matters," Daniels said Sunday. "That's it."

Clites said in her post on the Portage County Democrats' Facebook page that she fears that sheriff's deputies might prompt some people to avoid voting.

"While it is not my responsibility to weigh in on the sheriff's comments directly, I feel strongly it is in my responsibility to make sure I do what is in my authority to make sure every voter in Portage County feels safe casting their ballot for any candidate they choose," Clites wrote.

"I believe walking into a voting location where a sheriff's deputy can be seen may discourage voters from entering."

On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Zuchowski, calling for the sheriff to retract his social media posts as they amounted to a threat of government action against people who exercise their First Amendment rights.

"With these messages, you, a government official, have made an impermissible threat against Portage County residents who wish to engage in protected First Amendment activity by displaying political yard signs," according to the letter, which was signed by Freda Levenson, the ACLU of Ohio's legal director.

In a follow-up post Tuesday, Zuchowski said he had received "overwhelming support" from residents "who are afraid or are Not allowed to agree with me publicly!" He argued the First Amendment protects his right to make the post about Harris supporters.

The ACLU said the sheriff's post constituted a threat of government action against people who are either already displaying a sign for Harris or who might do so in the future.

"Your threats are unconstitutional," the ACLU's letter said.