Resource: A. PHILIP RANDOLPH INSTITUTE, ET AL. V. LAROSE

On August 12, 2020, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued Directive 2020-16 prohibiting Ohio Boards of Elections from installing secure drop boxes for receiving ballots and ballot applications at any location other than the Board office. But limiting counties to a single drop box per county disfavors voters of highly populated counties relative to those of lightly populated counties. For example, Noble County has 7,903 registered voters, while Cuyahoga County has 858,041. The Secretary’s directive particularly disfavors voters who are poorer and people of color who are fearful of voting in person because the pandemic has disproportionately devastated these populations.