LaRose, a Republican, appealed within hours of the ruling. Polster declined to put a stay on his order, meaning it will take effect immediately unless the appeals court intervenes. If it stands, the ruling would allow Cuyahoga County to move forward with a plan to set up staffed ballot collection sites at six county library branches.
“The Secretary has not advanced any legitimate reason to prohibit a county board of elections from utilizing off-site drop boxes and/or off-site delivery of ballots to staff. Voting began October 6, the Cuyahoga County board voted to begin collecting ballots at public libraries on October 13, other county boards may now vote to implement plans for off-site collection, and it is time for this litigation to end,” [the court] wrote, ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by a group of voting-rights advocates.
In a statement, LaRose spokeswoman Maggie Sheehan said: “Voting has begun, and Ohio’s elections are safe, secure and accessible. The place to make changes in how we run our elections is the Statehouse, not the courthouse.”