COLUMBUS – The Ohio Senate Wednesday passed legislation ensuring that Ohio will have in-person voting in November.
The bill states that the “time, place and manner of holding an election are set by the legislature,” and can’t be changed by order of a state official according to Senate President and co-sponsor Larry Obhof (R-Medina).
The move, which merely restates existing Ohio law, follows the postponement of the state’s primary election in March due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
State lawmakers rescheduled the election, which was held almost entirely by mail in April.
Delays caused by an increase in voting by mail may contribute to public doubts about the results.
The public may not know the winner of the presidential race on election day because of a massive shift to voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s because mail ballots take longer to count due to security procedures and laws in some states that limit when they can be processed.
Democrats are worried that President Donald Trump’s escalating rhetoric against mail voting is designed to take advantage of this delay in the instance of a close race or even his defeat.