Firearms in Polling locations.

[Cruiser]

The Elections Board in Mercer County is wanting to Ban Concealed Carry in Polling places. Front page news today.
I know this has been discussed her in the past. My memory says it is already illegal?
I realize that most polling places in themselves are restricted, Church's, schools, government buildings etc.

[Brian D.]

Well, if the polling place is a house, as memory serves the BoE pays the owner, plus the poll workers are government employees of a sort. Perhaps that's enough to temporarily make the place a government building? I think that would make Mercer County's plan redundant.

But if they go forward, it would be quite amusing to open carry there on election day, again presuming we're talking about a house, or private business (or even certain government buildings) that have no restrictions against OC already.

[qmti]

My poling place is the township hall which is posted. Years before it was the grade school. So no go.

[WY_Not]

Yep. Ours is a church. So such grandstanding would be redundant here.

[dl1911]

Church and school for me so no go.

[WestonDon]

I know this issue has been discussed here before and I believe it is pretty much settled in state law. Government employees, regularly present, even if regularly is every 2-4 years, makes it a CPZ.

Sounds like what we have here is some petty bureaucrats who have a bloated opinion of their own importance. BOE's execute laws re. elections. They do not make them.

[JustaShooter]

Library for me, so no go.

I also recall a discussion about this in the past, where I think the conclusion was since the room used for voting was leased by the BoE and had government employees there regularly (every time the polls open) that it met the definition in ORC 2923.126 (G)(3):

(3) "Government facility of this state or a political subdivision of this state" means any of the following:

(a) A building or part of a building that is owned or leased by the government of this state or a political subdivision of this state and where employees of the government of this state or the political subdivision regularly are present for the purpose of performing their official duties as employees of the state or political subdivision;

That reasoning seems sound to me, so why the Mercer County BoE thinks they need to do anything is beyond me - and for that matter, even if it wasn't already prohibited I don't think they can since it would be a violation of ORC 9.68.

Am I missing something?

[Brian D.]

Library for me, so no go.

I also recall a discussion about this in the past, where I think the conclusion was since the room used for voting was leased by the BoE and had government employees there regularly (every time the polls open) that it met the definition in ORC 2923.126 (G)(3):

(3) "Government facility of this state or a political subdivision of this state" means any of the following:

(a) A building or part of a building that is owned or leased by the government of this state or a political subdivision of this state and where employees of the government of this state or the political subdivision regularly are present for the purpose of performing their official duties as employees of the state or political subdivision;

That reasoning seems sound to me, so why the Mercer County BoE thinks they need to do anything is beyond me - and for that matter, even if it wasn't already prohibited I don't think they can since it would be a violation of ORC 9.68.

Am I missing something?

Yeah. No real penalty for ORC 9.68 violations by these political subdivisions and their associates. That law is so toothless you'd think we were talking about people in West Virginia.

[M-Quigley]

MIne is in a church out in the middle of nowhere. Every time I've gone in there is 4 senior citizens sitting at a table, and rarely anyone voting at any one particular time. The last time I voted they asked me to use the first machine, so they wouldn't have to deal with the other machines. Every one that had come in before me used the first machine. I can't say I'm worried about locking my handgun in my car at that place.