Order on social media raises alarm
In a state already in turmoil over claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, an Ohio sheriff has posted on his personal and professional Facebook pages that residents of Portage County, where he holds office, should keep lists of homes with Harris/Walz campaign signs in front.
Republican Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski warned the citizens of Portage County in a post on Friday that undocumented immigrants would arrive if his candidate, former President Donald Trump, were defeated in the November election.
Referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, as a “laughing hyena,” Zuchowski went on to call undocumented immigrants “human locusts” and said, “We’ll already have the addresses of the their New families … who supported their arrival!” He also added screenshots from several Fox News stories claiming that President Joe Biden’s immigration policies had led to a crime wave and were “destroying small towns,” according to local newspaper The Portager.
Tuesday, he doubled down on his remarks, stating in another Facebook post that, “Recently, I placed a post on my personal facebook page that may have been a little misinterpreted?? I…as the elected sheriff, do have a first amendment right as do all citizens. 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.”
Zuchowski, who is up for re-election in November, mentioned, “The Overwhelming Support I am receiving from many people in Portage County who are afraid or are Not allowed to agree with me publicly!”
According to Cleveland TV station WKYC, Zuchowski restricts who can comment on his page. Reporters for the station found many residents who support him, but others aren’t so sanguine, including one who said if he were in trouble, he wasn’t sure he’d want Zuchowski being the one who came to help.
American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Legal Director Freda Levenson wrote, “Sheriff Zuchowski has made an impermissible, unconstitutional threat against Portage County residents who wish to engage in protected First Amendment activity. Many have reasonably understood his posts to be a threat of governmental action to punish them for their expressed political beliefs and have been coerced to take down or refrain from putting up a yard sign. The ACLU of Ohio insists that Sheriff Zuchowski right these wrongs and follow the law – as is his duty as an elected official and his role as sheriff.”
However, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, released this opinion: “Our office has reviewed the comments and determined they don’t violate election laws. The sheriff can speak and answer for himself about the substance of his remarks. We’re focused on running an election that begins with military and overseas ballots going out this Friday.”
With the rhetoric on both sides nationwide reaching a fever pitch, Zuchowski is likely to not be the only one on one side or the other posting his opinion on social media (and controlling whose opinion of that is displayed). The entire matter will undoubtedly lead to further exploration and discussion on the role of social media in the election process.