I am writing to commend the Ashland County Elections workers for a job well done.
I chose to vote early so that I could coordinate with a fellow mom-friend of mine to make sure my voice was heard in this very important election. We drove together and I went in the building to vote while she waited in the car with our kids, then I waited with them as she voted.
The process took maybe 15 minutes total, and during that time a man stood under the roof that juts out over the west end of the building.
To paint a picture, it was a large man wearing clothing with a political message, carrying a partially drank two-liter of soda, and leaning up against a wall. He wordlessly eyed everyone who walked in and out of the building, and I’ll leave my fellow citizens to decide what his intentions were in setting up camp there.
When my friend returned to the car, we both asked each other, “Isn’t loitering there illegal?”
I double-checked the laws on a government website; wearing clothing that advocates for a political candidate at an active voting location is against the law, loitering there is illegal, and intimidation outside a polling place is forbidden by the law of the land.
I hate confrontation, but we can all agree that elections being free from interference is a necessity.
So, calm on the outside but shaking on the inside, I walked back into the building, waited in line, and told the worker what I saw. Honestly, I expected the volunteer to be dismissive.
After all, he wasn’t yelling at people or waving a gun, I couldn’t prove his intention was to intimidate. I’m grateful to say her response was solemn and confident.
She asked if he was at least 100 feet from the building and when I said no she turned to another worker, they nodded at each other like they knew exactly what to do, and thanked me for telling them.
An hour later when my husband voted on his lunch break the man was gone.
I’m writing this letter to reassure voters that we can trust our election officials to uphold the law, and to thank them for the work they do.
Rachel Motter
Ashland, Ohio