COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to send postage-paid absentee ballots to millions of Ohioans as part of his plan to complete the state’s presidential primary election, delayed over coronavirus concerns.
LaRose on Saturday announced his plan, which would send postage-paid absentee ballot applications to every registered voter who hadn’t yet cast an early vote for the primary, which was postponed from March 17.
Voters who complete the application would get the postage-paid ballots, which they could submit until June 2, when LaRose wants to hold in-person voting.
But the plan would allow LaRose to call off in-person voting by April 24, if Ohio health officials haven’t rescinded the public-health order that closed the polls in the first place by then.
LaRose’s plan, which he said is backed by Gov. Mike DeWine, would require approval and funding from state lawmakers.
State officials are working to figure out how to finish the election after the DeWine administration effectively postponed it through the public-health order issued hours before polls were to have opened. They say it was necessary for safety reasons, and to make sure voters weren’t forced to choose between their health and their right to vote.
A flurry of lawsuits has resulted, and more are possible, making it likely that courts will play a role in approving whatever the legislature comes up with. Among those who have sued are a Republican state representative who’s up for election, a judicial candidate from the Toledo area and the Ohio Democratic Party, who all say state officials lacked the authority to postpone the election.
Voter-rights groups, pushing to allow Ohioans to register to vote during the newly-created voting period, have threatened to sue as well.
State officials have said they did the best they could in an emergency situation.
The Ohio House is believed to favor holding an all-mail vote, targeting April 28 or thereabouts as the final day to accept ballots. Education groups have pushed for an earlier date, citing pending school levies and other local tax issues.
But LaRose’s staff have said it’s impossible to print applications, mail them out, accept them and send ballots, all while giving voters reasonable time to complete the steps, in that shorter timeframe.
“No date before June 2nd is logistically possible,” LaRose wrote in the Saturday letter to lawmakers. (Scroll down to read the full letter.) “We simply cannot put a postage-paid absentee ballot request in the hands of each eligible voter and afford them reasonable time to cast a ballot any earlier. A plan that does not afford every Ohioan an opportunity to vote free of charge would be unconstitutional.”
As of now, LaRose has told county elections boards to accept mailed-in ballots while preparing for an in-person day of voting on June 2.
Before the election was postponed, 523,522 Ohioans had cast early ballots. Ohio has roughly 8 million registered voters.
Read other recent Ohio elections news:
Talking about the behind-the-scenes story of Ohio’s postponed election: Video
Ohio polls remain closed following overnight ruling from Ohio Supreme Court