A Riverside man is facing a misdemeanor charge after Hamilton County election officials said he confiscated an electronic ballot on Election Day.
The 25-year-old is charged with “interference with the conduct of the election,” a charge that has not been used in Hamilton County for at least five years. The Enquirer is trying to determine how often the charge has been used in the rest of Ohio.
According to police records, the incident took place at the Saylor Park Recreation Center, where the election was taking place.
A 911 caller contacted police just before 10 a.m. to report that an “irate gentleman” was trying to leave with a computer. The person called again shortly after to say things had escalated.
“We need someone now,” the caller said. “He’s trying to get away with the voting thing, and he’s throwing it. He’s acting real. He wants to vote, but he can’t because he doesn’t have the right stuff. He’s destroying equipment, throwing things, going after people. We definitely need help.”
Police records show he was arrested at the recreation center at 10:20 a.m. The voting continued while the man was “tearing it up” in a nearby downtown classroom.
The arrest report shows that the man suffers from a mental illness.
The Election Council reported that the voting booklet had been disabled remotely. There were two other poll books available for use at the time, officials said. A poll book is used to check in voters and does not contain information about how people voted.
The man was released Wednesday after his bond was posted. A Hamilton County grand jury is expected to hear the case on Nov. 15.
The man’s lawyer had not responded to requests for comment at the time of writing this report.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: A Cincinnati man accused of participating in the election poll book faces a misdemeanor charge
