MANSFIELD — The longest-running primary election in Ohio’s history appears to be wheezing its way to the finish line Tuesday.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, in a letter to the state’s Congressional delegation Thursday, asked for their assistance with the U.S. Postal Service to ensure people who have requested absentee ballots via mail will get them in time to return them by Tuesday’s deadline.
Richland County voters who have not already voted (through early voting prior to March 17) may request an absentee ballot application by calling 419-774-5530 or by completing and printing an application at the Richland County Board of Elections website.
Applications must be received by noon on Saturday and ballots must be returned by Tuesday. If returning voted absentee ballot by mail, they must be postmarked by Monday. If dropping off a completed absentee ballot, must be received at the Board of Elections by Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic that stopped in-person voting hours before it was to begin on March 17 extended voting until April 28. With an added twist, state lawmakers approved legislation that calls for all voting to be done by absentee ballot only, meaning there will be no additional in-person votes cast.
LaRose said his office has received “wide reports” of first-class mail, normally delivered in one to three days, taking as long as a week or more to arrive.
“I can certainly appreciate the multitude and complexity of the problems our nation is currently working to overcome,” LaRose said in the letter. “However, we must never give an inch in our fight for that most sacred of rights — the right to vote. I hope I can count on your support as we work to successfully complete Ohio’s election.
“Along with our colleagues at the county boards of elections, we have made attempts to work with the USPS to find alternatives that will improve the time it takes to have mail delivered, but have so far been largely unsuccessful.”
He asked legislators to consider these recommendations:
— Assign additional staff to local USPS offices and encourage extra hours, even on Sunday, to ensure prompt delivery of election-related mail.
— Work immediately to identify delivery standard shortcomings. Election officials have reported numerous issues this election cycle, from missed mail deliveries at local boards of elections to delivery times in excess of 10 days for first class letters. The underlying issues must be immediately identified and corrected.
— Conduct a thorough search at USPS facilities for unprocessed mail. Management at all local USPS offices and processing facilities should conduct a thorough review to ensure all election-related mail is being properly processed.
— Ensure each USPS office promptly provides mail to the county boards of elections on Saturday. Upon receipt of the absentee ballots which are being mailed to the voters, have the necessary resources on hand to provide for prompt delivery of mail to voters. Ohio law has established that the last day to request an absentee ballot is Saturday.
“This creates a very tight turnaround for both boards of elections and the USPS, so every effort must be made to ensure ballots are received in a timely manner,” LaRose said.
Those who properly requested an absentee ballot by the deadline, and never received it, can enter the local Board of Elections office for assistance in casting a provisional ballot.
Richland County Elections Director Paulette said mail delays has not been a “massive issue” here.
“In fact, most issues that were thought to be delays were actually human error,” she said, including voters listing an incorrect residence address, not indicating the party ballot they wish to receive or failing to sign the application.
Hankins said Friday morning that 3,687 ballots were cast in-person before March 17. She said her office has mailed out 14,473 ballots and has received 9,105, meaning 5,368 are still outstanding.
Voters who properly requested an absentee ballot by the Saturday deadline and did not receive a ballot from the board of elections prior to Tuesday, may enter the polling place and cast a provisional ballot.
“They must vote a provisional ballot so that we can ensure that they didn’t also vote their regular ballot which was sent to them,” Hankins said. “Provisionals are not counted on Election Night, but are verified within the 10 days after the election as to sufficient documentation and checking to make sure they didn’t vote on a regular ballot or in another county.”
Hankins said many voters are taking advantage of the secure dropbox in the board of elections parking lot at 1495 W. Longview St. The dropbox is is emptied out several times a day, she said.
