Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Ohio Democrats sue for more election drop boxes

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose

Ohio Democrats are suing GOP Secretary of State Frank LaRose in an attempt to lift his limit of one ballot drop box per county.

Justin Merriman/Getty Images

The Ohio Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Frank LaRose challenging his limit of one secure ballot drop box per county.

The suit, filed Tuesday in state court, comes as Ohio — and the rest of the nation — braces for an expected surge in absentee voting this fall as voters seek to avoid Covid-19 exposure.

While election officials and voting rights advocates have been heavily focused on expanding mail-in balloting, growing concerns about the performance of the Postal Service during the primary election season have prompted people to begin looking for additional ways to submit their ballots.


The suit claims there is nothing in state law that limits the number of drop boxes. Republican officials believe otherwise.

"Expanding the availability of secure voter drop boxes within Ohio counties would make an enormous difference for safe, secure and easy voting in Ohio, as well as eliminate delays in boards receiving ballots through the mail system," Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said.

LaRose, a Republican, did not have an immediate reaction to the lawsuit.

Many states — run by both Republicans and Democrats — use drop boxes to collect paper ballots.

The Election Assistance Commission recommends that there be one dropbox for every 15,000 to 20,000 registered voters. Twenty counties in Ohio have more than 100,000 registered voters and in the March primary 1.8 million ballots were cast by mail.

Ohioans can request absentee ballots until Oct. 31, and ballots will be mailed to those who request them starting Oct. 6.

Read More

Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

Two coloured pencils one red and one blue drawing a reef knot on a white paper background.

Getty Images, David Malan

Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

It is a common refrain to say that Americans need to find common ground across the political spectrum.

Over the past year, AllSides and More Like US found >700 instances of common ground on political topics, revealed in Similarity Hub. It highlights public opinion data from Gallup, Pew Research, YouGov, and many other reputable polling firms.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

Royal Moroccan Armed Forces service members and U.S. Army Soldiers hold an African Lion banner during a Moroccan F-16 flyover at the closing day of African Lion 2025 (AL25) at Tantan, Morocco, May 23, 2025.

By Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett/U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

WASHINGTON – Both the Trump administration and its critics agree the U.S. risks losing influence in Africa to rivals like China and Russia. But while the administration argues its commercially driven foreign policy will reverse the trend, critics warn that retreating from development and diplomacy could deepen the problem.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. plans to consolidate embassies, scale back USAID operations, and pivot towards a security and commercial driven approach on the continent. While U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) defense officials insist their core missions within Africa will remain intact, civilian experts and lawmakers argue that abandoning diplomatic and development tools opens the door for strategic competitors to fill the void and fails to take into account what would best benefit African countries.

Keep ReadingShow less