CLEVELAND, Ohio – An expected surge in mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic combined with a troubled U.S. Postal Service has election watchers concerned that presidential ballots won’t reach election boards on time this November.
So, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the top election official in the state, and others are urging prospective mail-in voters to request and cast their absentee ballots as soon possible to minimize the chance for problems.
How do I request a mail-in ballot?
LaRose’s office will be sending mail-in-ballot applications to 7.8 million registered voters in Ohio around Labor Day weekend.
But you don’t need to wait. You can ask for an application now, either online or by phone, said Mike West, spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. You also can print an application form off the board of elections website.
The more time boards of elections have to prepare the mailings, the better.
Regardless of when an application is sent in, however, actual ballots won’t begin to be mailed to registered voters in Ohio until Oct. 6.
Will I need to provide any information?
Yes. In Ohio, the following information will be required: Your name, signature, address, date of birth and a form of identification that could include an Ohio driver’s license number, partial Social Security number (last four digits), valid photo identification, various forms of government IDs and even a utility bill.
Do I need to say why I want to vote absentee?
No. Ohio is one of 34 states where you are not required to give a reason for requesting an absentee/mail-in ballot.
Five of the 34 states mail ballots to registered voters without the voters even applying while the other 29, including Ohio, require an application.
Of the other 16 states that require prospective voters to give a reason for requesting an absentee ballot, eight have recently made provisions for registered voters to cite concerns about the coronavirus. The other eight states may follow suit depending on the outcome of legislative or legal action, said Brian Hinkle, research analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
How much time will I have to complete my mail-in ballot?
That depends on when you filed your application, and how quickly you receive your ballot.
Absentee ballot requests that arrive in late October could leave little time for voters to complete and return the documents to their boards of election. A request can be made as late as noon on Oct. 31, but if you wait that long don’t expect a ballot to arrive to your home in time, according to a LaRose spokesman
During an interview with CNN, LaRose cited delays in mail delivery last spring, when he was forced to quickly transition Ohio to a virtually all-mail primary because of the pandemic.
The Postal Service is not “running at peak efficiency,” he said. “I think that’s an understatement.” And the Postal Service is expected to handle a large volume of mail-in ballots during the general election. Past election totals have averaged around 20 to 25% mail-in ballots, LaRose said, and that number could hit 50% this election.
That’s why procrastination is a bad idea, he said, and urged voters to make sure their registration is current so they can obtain a mail-in ballot and cast it as soon as possible.
Catherine Turcer, executive director of the government watchdog group Common Cause Ohio, said a ballot mailed on Oct. 6 should get to its recipient within a week and that she would not take longer than one additional week to complete and mail the ballot.
The LaRose spokesman said the Post Office has advised that voters should allow one week for election-related mail to be delivered.
What’s my deadline?
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 2, the day before the election, to be counted or they can be delivered by hand by the voter or a close family member up to and including election day. A ballot postmarked within the deadline can be received by the board of election up to 10 days after the election and still be counted.
Cuyahoga County voters can drop off their ballots in a secure box at the board of elections any time of the day or night, West said. LaRose has asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost if additional drop boxes can be set up. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wants to use recreation centers and public library branches as drop-off points.
If you ask for and receive a mail-in ballot, but don’t use it and go to the polls instead, you will have to cast a provisional ballot to be counted later “because we have to make sure that the ballot that we mailed you doesn’t surface,” West said.
West said based on past experience the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is optimistic that the “delivery of ballots won’t be a major issue.”
Why are election watchers concerned about the Postal Service?
President Trump, who has been harshly critical of the Postal Service, recently appointed one of his fundraisers, Louis DeJoy, to be postmaster general, fueling concerns that newly imposed operational changes are designed to compromise the election, according to the Washington Post.
The head of the American Postal Workers Union told CNN last week that service has become “degraded” and that management has imposed changes that have slowed down delivery.
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Regardless of the president’s intentions, his rhetoric has created anxiety among the public, said Turcer at Common Cause Ohio.
Still, Turcer said, she was impressed by the way the Postal Service stepped up during the Ohio primary and she thinks early action by voters can make for a successful election.
“Like all Americans, postal workers are concerned about elections and want to make sure the presidential election, especially, runs smoothly,” she said.
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