COLUMBUS – With the deadline to cast ballots in the Ohio primary a week away, observers are concerned about a low turnout and what that might mean for the general election in November.
UPDATE 4/21/20 4:42 p.m.: On April 21 – one week before the deadline for balloting set by the General Assembly – approximately 1.67 million Ohioans had requested vote-by-mail absentee ballots, according to the office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
That is less than half as many as in 2016, said Ohio state director of All Voting Is Local Mike Brickner.
Brickner says the state’s system of distributing absentee ballots needs to be smoothed out or there will be an extremely low turnout for the November election if the coronavirus lingers or returns and LaRose’s office is forced to rely heavily on voting-by-mail.
“If we’re looking at making sure everybody has their voice heard at the November election, we really have to come up with a strong plan and start thinking ahead now,” he said.
Click here to get a form to request an absentee ballot
The election, originally scheduled for March 17 had to be rescheduled when polling places were shut down in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus.
La Rose says over 700,000 Ohioans had already voted by the time the election was postponed.
With elections board swamped with requests for absentee ballots, Bricker says it’s taking as much as 10 days to send out the ballots and the post office is taking three to five days to deliver them or return them to the boards.
Ballots must be postmarked by midnight April 27 or dropped off at boards of elections on April 28.