Ohio official: 'Extremely questionable, if not illegal behavior' outside polling station

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Man hands out Clinton-LeBron event fliers at polling station

Unidentified male hands out event fliers to early voters

EXCLUSIVE: An unidentified male on Sunday potentially violated Ohio election law by standing outside a polling station to hand out invitations to an event touting appearances by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and NBA star LeBron James.

“It is clear that this is extremely questionable, if not illegal behavior,” a spokesman for Secretary of State Jon Husted’s office said after reviewing a video of the incident taken by the Fox News Channel.

Husted told Fox last week that his office would investigate any allegation of fraud or tampering that is brought to his attention by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who warns of election “rigging” regularly, or anyone else.

James is appearing with Clinton at a rally in Cleveland.

Fox News first spotted the unidentified male Sunday making contact with dozens of people in the voting line, handing out small pieces of paper with instructions about how to RSVP for the event at the nearby Cleveland Public Auditorium, several hours later.

The bottom of the flyer stated: “Printed in House, Paid for by the Ohio Democratic Party.”

Multiple signs posted outside the polling place state: “ATTENTION: No person shall loiter, congregate or engage in any kind of election campaigning within 10 FEET of any elector in line to vote. Ohio Revised Code Section 3501.35.”

A review of the code shows that violating this law can result in either being sued or put in jail for 30 days, depending on the severity of the offense.

The man handing out the invitations within the 10-foot boundary declined to give his name or say whether he was working for the Clinton campaign.

“You’re not cute enough to get my name,” he said. “Hillary and LeBron after you’re done voting.”

Secretary Husted’s office contacted the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections about the incident. The office spokesman said he was “assured” that officials are "walking up and down the line to preserve the 10-foot barrier that voters are guaranteed by Ohio law.”

However, a board spokesperson declined to review the video or following up to see whether the incident was in violation on any laws.

“We are doing the best we can to enforce the law,” the spokesperson said. “When our staff sees people getting too close to the line, we try to correct their behavior.”

The Ohio Democratic Party has yet to respond to several requests for comment.