Officials in Portage County, Ohio stripped its local police department of election security duties after the Trump-loving sheriff, Bruce Zuchowski, encouraged residents to record the addresses of Kamala Harris supporters.
The Portage County elections board voted 3-1 on Friday to remove Zuchowski’s department from providing security during in-person absentee voting after residents voiced concerns about having the MAGA sheriff in charge of protecting their vote in November, according to The Daily Beast.
“It is clear by public comments in the past week there is perceived intimidation by our Sheriff against certain voters,” Randi Clites, the county board of elections chair and a Democrat said in a statement.
“While it is not my responsibility to weigh in on the Sheriffs 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 continued.
“I believe walking into a voting location where a Sheriff Deputy can be seen may discourage voters from entering,” the chair added.
In a Facebook post earlier this month Zuchowski, who is up for re-election, compared migrants to “human locusts” and called Harris a “Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena.”
He then encouraged residents who oppose her candidacy to “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 the their New families…who supported their arrival!”
Frank Hairson, the communications chair of the local NAACP chapter said residents have told him that they are “afraid to vote” and “put signs in their yard” due to their sheriff’s post.
The post has since been deleted.
