Hicks-Hudson on Disreputable Vote Suppressor's Influence on LaRose's Ohio Drop Box Ban
COLUMBUS— State Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) responded today to national news outlet ProPublica’s revelations that the office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose sought direction from notorious national vote suppressor Hans von Spakovsky before issuing an order banning more than one drop box per county.
There is a hearing today at 3 p.m. in the 10th District Court of Appeals on the drop box issue. Rep. Hicks-Hudson was an affiant in the lawsuit challenges the LaRose/von Spakovsky ban. She affirmed that the Secretary of State told her he would allow more drop boxes if he had a court order supporting the action. Instead, when the court found his ban of multiple drop boxes unreasonable, LaRose appealed the court’s order .
“The Secretary of State was elected to deliver fair elections to all Ohioans and behave in a nonpartisan manner,” Rep. Hicks-Hudson said. “While he holds public Task Force meetings and press conferences and claims to wear ‘the referee’s jersey,’ he’s been secretly soliciting advice from Hans von Spakovsky, a man regarded by voting rights experts as the “country’s worst vote suppressor."
A quick look at Mr. von Spakovsky’s record reveals him to be an intense partisan who has viciously attacked voting rights and fought against expanding the franchise throughout his career. The Secretary of State claims to be transparent but has hidden from Ohioans who he is really taking orders from. Hopefully, the court will see through this deceit and uphold Ohioans' right to a fair and accessible election.”
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