Ohio elections officials say delays with the United States Postal Service could cause some voters to not get their ballots on time send them in for next Tuesday’s vote-by-mail primary election.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Thursday his office has received “wide reports” of first-class mail, which normally takes 1-3 days, taking as long as a week or more. That could mean delays in delivery of voters’ ballot applications, which are due Saturday, as well as in the return of ballots, which must be postmarked by Monday, or physically delivered to county boards of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday in order to count.
“As you can imagine, these delays mean it is very possible that many Ohioans who have requested a ballot may not receive it in time,” LaRose said in a Thursday letter to members of Ohio’s congressional delegation. …
So what if you requested your ballot, but don’t receive it in time to vote?
A little-advertised option is to vote provisionally, in-person at your county elections board next Tuesday. In-person voting is available for the disabled and homeless. But guidance LaRose issued last week to county boards of elections directs them let these people vote.
“If you properly requested an absentee ballot by the April 25, 2020, deadline and you did not receive your ballot from the board of elections prior to today, you may enter the polling place for assistance,” a sign LaRose’s office distributed to county boards of elections reads in part….
In his Thursday letter, LaRose asked members of Congress to intervene, seeing if the USPS can increase staffing in Ohio offices, including on Sunday, or perform a search to find undelivered ballots.