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.
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