Why Ohio elections board removed MAGA sheriff from voting security

In Portage County, Ohio, Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski has been an outspoken supporter of 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and a vehement critic of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. And the sheriff is now facing a backlash in response to his latest anti-Harris remarks — as a local elections board has voted 3-1 to remove his office from security during in-person absentee voting.

In a September 13 post on Facebook, Zuchowski wrote, "When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? 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!"

The Daily Beast's Sean Craig reports, "The Ohio Secretary of State's Office determined last week that Zuchowksi's post didn't break state election laws, but local citizens expressed their discomfort with having an immigrant-hating MAGA sheriff in charge of protecting the vote. Over 100 people attended an emergency meeting called by the local NAACP chapter, the Ravenna Record-Courier reported. Frank Hairson, the communications chair of the NAACP chapter said people told him: 'They're afraid to vote. They're afraid to put signs in their yard."

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Zuchowski's September 13 post came only three days after Trump, during a debate with Harris in Philadelphia, repeated the debunked and racist conspiracy theory that in Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants have been kidnapping residents' pet dogs and cats and eating them.

Following that debate, Springfield has been experiencing bomb threats. And Haitian immigrants have said they fear for their safety.

In a post on Facebook, Randi Clites — a Democrat who chairs the Portage County Board of Elections, explained, "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 added, "I believe walking into a voting location where a sheriff deputy can be seen may discourage voters from entering."

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