COLUMBUS – One of Ohio's most impassioned political fights doesn't revolve around a candidate or a policy, but rather a glorified mailbox.
Over the past year, secure ballot drop boxes have transformed from a rarely discussed tool for collecting election mail to the center of a deeply divided debate over how Ohioans vote.
COVID-19 played a key role in that dramatic shift. The novel coronavirus first hit Ohio in the days before the March 2020 presidential primary. Worried about spreading the disease, Gov. Mike DeWine's administration closed polling locations, forcing many Ohioans to vote by mail for the first time.
Ohio lawmakers, while extending the primary into April, added a seemingly innocuous line: Every county board of election needs a "secure receptacle" outside their offices for completed ballots.