ATLANTA — Today, Fair Fight Action responded to Ohio Republican Bill Seitz, the sponsor of voter suppression bill HB 294, which would codify a 2020 restriction limiting the number of ballot drop boxes in the state to one per county, and only at the local Board of Elections. In defending the bill to radio host Bill Cunningham, Seitz referred to voters who used drop boxes in 2020 as “COVID cowards” who were “too afraid to walk into the Board of Elections and hand in their ballot.”
Fair Fight Action Voter Protection Director Liza Conrad issued the following statement:
“Rep. Seitz’ comments referring to voters who exercised caution during the pandemic as ‘cowards’ tells us everything we need to know about his values—or lack thereof—and is an insult to the nearly 20,000 Ohioans who lost their lives to COVID-19. To not only dismiss, but to outright insult, voters who fear for their health and safety during the pandemic isn’t just outrageous, it’s unconscionable. No one should be forced to choose between exercising their right to vote and protecting their well-being. Because of drop boxes, millions of Americans of both parties were able to safely cast their ballot in 2020 without jeopardizing their health. But Republicans are using every false argument imaginable to continue to limit access to drop boxes as part of their national agenda to stifle the voices of voters of color across the country. If Seitz were truly interested in representing the people of Ohio he would be working to make voting more accessible, not less.”
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