Left: Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski (Portage County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office). Right: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at Bojangles Coliseum, in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin).
The office of an Ohio sheriff who called for residents to “write down” the home addresses of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ supporters has been pulled from providing security for absentee voting ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski took to his personal Facebook account on Sept. 13 to rail against the Democratic candidate facing off against Donald Trump in November. In his post, he compared Harris, who is Black and South Asian, to a “hyena,” and he compared foreign-born immigrants to insects.
“When people ask me…What’s gonna happen if the Flip – Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins??” the post says, according to USA Today. “I say…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 their New families…who supported their arrival!”
Within days, the Portage County Board of Elections took action, proposing to pull Zuchowski and his deputies from providing security during in-person absentee voting.
“As Board Members we are charged with preventing violence and disorder at the polls, and to conduct a safe and secure election process,” election board member Randi Clites wrote on Facebook on Sept. 20. “It is clear by public comments in the past week there is perceived intimidation by our Sheriff against certain voters.”
The motion passed 3-1, Clites noted.
“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,” she also wrote. “I believe walking into a voting location where a Sheriff Deputy can be seen may discourage voters from entering.”
Clites emphasized that past deputies have provided “safety” to board members, staff, and voters during elections and she believed they would continue to do so, “not every citizen or voter has had that same opportunity to build the level of trust with our deputies.”
In a subsequent post, Clites said that the sheriff’s office had been added to the county’s “Election Administration Plan” in 2020 and had remained in place since then, with the board most recently approving the plan in July.
“My motion to replace the Portage County Sheriff Department with the building security and local police allowed us to default back to the building security” that was in place before 2020, Clites said, and use Ravenna Police for security before Election Day.
“This motion ONLY addresses who will provide security during in-person absentee voting times at the BOE office and for poll worker training sessions,” Clites said.
Zuchowski, for his part, has said that his comments were widely misunderstood.
“As the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of Portage County, I have sworn to protect ALL citizens of my County,” Zuchowski wrote on Sept. 18, USA Today reported. “Recently, I placed a post on my personal Facebook page that may have been a little misinterpreted??”
The sheriff reminded readers that he is “the elected sheriff” and that he, too, has a “First Amendment right, as do all citizens.”
He did not appear to back down from his position that Harris supporters should be tracked.
“If the citizens of Portage County want to elect an individual who has supported open borders (which I’ve personally visited Twice!) and neglected to enforce the laws of our Country…then that is their prerogative,” he wrote. “With elections, there are consequences. That being said…I believe that those who vote for individuals with liberal policies have to accept responsibility for their actions! I am a Law Man…Not a Politician!”
In 2016 and 2020, the majority of Portage County voters went for Trump, according to state records.
As of Tuesday, Zuchowski’s posts are not publicly available on Facebook.
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