Ohio’s 2020 Primary Election Turnout was Below 23%.
Nearly 9,000 Voters who requested Ohio Absentee Ballots to Vote in last week’s Primary Election in Six Local Counties didn’t get a Ballot because their Request was either mailed too Late or Improperly Filled-out. This illustrates Obstacles for State and Local Elections Officials gearing up for a Much-Larger Presidential Election in November where an Unprecedented Number of Voters asked for Mail-In Voting because of Coronavirus concerns.
Absentee Ballot Request Forms mailed before the Election continued pouring in to Local Elections Boards for days after the Primary Election Day of April 28th, Officials said. Interviews with Butler, Clark, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Warren County Elections Officials estimate the Number of Requests Received after the Deadline at more than 4,000 in those Counties Two Days after the Election, with more still coming in.
A Larger Number of Requests came in on time but were Missing needed Information, most often a Designation of which Party Ballot the Voter Wanted. Local Counties had Staff Working full time to Contact these Voters and most Requests were Corrected, but roughly 4,500 Requests in the Six Local Counties couldn’t be Processed. But even Voters who met the Deadline and provided Proper Information didn’t necessarily get their Ballots on time because of the Realities of Postal Snail Mail.
The Deadline to Request a Ballot was Noon Saturday, April 25th. There were 4,166 Ballots Mailed to Voters that day in the Six counties. Completed Ballots had to be Mailed back to the Boards of Elections Postmarked by April 27th or Dropped-Off Election Day, April 28th. U.S. Postal Service Officials say Delivery of First Class Mail takes Two to Five days.
Local Elections Officials say the Post Office tried turning around Deliveries quickly and some of the Ballots sent out Saturday were Cast. Some were Dropped-Off by Voters on Election Day. But Delivery Times were a Wide Range.
Voters who Requested a Ballot but Didn’t get one in time were Permitted to Cast a Provisional Ballots In-Person at the Board of Elections on Election Day. More than 2,000 Voters Cast Provisional Ballots on Election day in these Six Counties. But this Number includes Voters who didn’t Properly Request a Ballot to Vote by the Deadline and the State said those Ballots Won’t be Counted.
Secretary of State, Frank LaRose (R), Ohio’s Top Election Official, said he wasn’t surprised by the Newspaper’s Findings. He had wanted to push Back the Primary to late May or early June to give more time for Voters to get their Ballots, but the General Assembly Approved an April Primary.
One Change LaRose and Local Elections Officials say should be made is Moving Back the Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot. Telling Voters they can put in a Request on Saturday and Expect a Ballot in time for an Election Tuesday is Unrealistic. LaRose wants to Move the Deadline Back to a Week before the Election. Another hurdle Elections Officials say was Unnecessary was getting Voters the Forms to Request an Absentee Ballot. Many Voters called their Board of Elections to have a Request Form Mailed to Them, adding up to another Five Days to the Process.
LaRose Supports Automatically Sending every Registered Voter in the State an Absentee Ballot Request Form with a Postage-Paid Response Envelope. He hopes the State can offer In-Person Voting in November, but he expects Voters will want Mail-in-Voting at a much Higher Rate than ever before.
A Study from the Brennan Center for Justice estimates this year’s Election will Cost $70 million to $82.2 million Extra to pull off Safely in Ohio and the State will needs more Federal Help. That Cost includes things like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Poll Workers to Plastic Sneeze Guards, Increased Postage Costs, and Cleaning Supplies.
LaRose said the State needs to have a Plan in place by mid-to-late Summer to give Voters and Election Workers enough Time to be Prepared for November.
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