Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of state election board amid Dominion voting machine controversy

The Ohio Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of the board of elections in Stark County, Ohio. According to Talking Points Memo, the vote will free up funding that was initially blocked by Republican lawmakers who opposed the purchase of new voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems.

Back in December, the board previously expressed interest in spending $1.5 million on new machines as the county's were old and dilapidated. The goal was to replace the worn machines in time for the county's special election in May. Unfortunately, the goal was not met due to the conspiracy theory perpetuated by Trump supporters.

After being inundated with complaints from the former president's base, the Republican-led county commissioners folded under pressure and rejected the board's request to purchase the machines. However, the board fired back. Despite the influx of phone complaints from conspiracy theorists, the board requested that the Court force commissioners' hand to approve their purchase.

The latest ruling follows the March lawsuit filed against the county to block the purchase. Due to lawmakers' efforts to slow the purchase of the machines, Stark County was unable to acquire the machines in time for its special elections in May. Per Talking Points Memo, the lawsuit stated:

"To have the new ICX voting machines in place for the November 2, 2021, General Election, Stark County must sign a contract with Dominion by June 15, 2021, but this deadline will not be met absent an Order, Judgment, and/or Writ from this Court before then directing the County Commissioners to acquire the ICX voting machines," adding: "Although this is the last date possible, allowing additional time is highly advisable to guarantee a smooth 2021 General Election for the Stark County voters and Board of Elections personnel."

Meanwhile, former Trump campaign staffers have also filed their own lawsuit against the elections board alleging that "they broke open meetings laws while deciding to purchase the Dominion machines."