COLUMBUS – Remember the election? The one that got canceled last month because of worries about the spread of the coronavirus?
Well, it’s back on.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office will begin sending 7.8 million postcards to registered voters with information on requesting mail-in absentee ballots so they can cast their votes before the April 28 deadline set by the General Assembly.
LaRose’s office is currently validating the data on the voter registration rolls and printing the cards, LaRose said.
They are expected to begin arriving in mailboxes next week at an estimated cost of $2.4 million.
Voters can print a request for an absentee ballot from LaRose’s website, fill it out and mail it to their county board of elections. Ballots can also be requested over the telephone or even with a hand-written letter containing certain information (see illustration above).
In-person voting on March 17 was blocked by Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton’s order following a directive from Gov. Mike DeWine the previous day recommending that Ohioans over the age of 65 should remain home and barring gatherings of greater than 50 people to combat the spread of COVID-19, which had affected over 3,300 Ohioans and killed 91 as of Thursday.
Lawmakers set April 28th as the date on which the primary election would be complete and voted that it would be conducted by mail.
LaRose announced that that 523,522 votes had been cast during Ohio’s early voting period from Feb. 19 through March 16.
In addition to the major party presidential primaries, voters across the state will also cast ballots on a number of local races, including 482 local issues and questions across 83 counties.