Primary election is by mail
Absentee voting by mail has been extended until 7:30 p.m. on April 28. There will be no in-person voting for the primary.
With all of the changes occurring in daily lives due to COVID-19, one of the major ones for Ohio was the delay of the primary election, originally slated to occur March 17.
While the governor talked of postponing the election to June, activity last week changed that plan.
“What happened last week was the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation changing the date and provisions of the election,” said Gail Garbrandt, director of the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections. “It was then signed by the governor, and the secretary of state sent us directives that tell us how to proceed. The whole election is by mail now.”
Absentee voting by mail has been extended until 7:30 p.m. on April 28. “There will be no in-person voting for the primary,” Garbrandt said.
While absentee voting has been extended, there has been no extension for registration. “If you did not register to vote by Feb. 18, you cannot vote for this election, but if you have registered since, you can vote for the following election, which should be Nov. 3, 2020,” Garbrandt said.
Garbrandt said in order to get a ballot, a voter needs to call their board of elections and request an absentee ballot application. For those in Tuscarawas County, voters may call 330-343-8819.
An absentee ballot application will be mailed to the voter, and through the application process, they must provide their name, address, birth date and a form of identification: either the last four digits of their Social Security number or their Ohio driver’s license or ID number.
The voter also will have to request which ballot they want: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Issues Only. Once that application is signed, dated and mailed to the board of elections, they will send the voter a ballot, along with a postage-paid envelope to return the ballot in.
Garbrandt said the legislation also requires a postcard to be sent to all voters as a reminder of how they can get a ballot, so if one comes in the mail after voters have already gotten their ballots, do not be confused. “It’s just a reminder for everyone,” she said.
If a voter has moved or changed their name, and this information didn’t get changed with the board of elections by Feb. 18, they must vote with a provisional ballot. “That means they will provide documentation later,” Garbrandt said.
They will have seven days after the election to provide the needed documentation, and their vote will be counted with the certified results. Garbrandt said the board of elections office will be open with extended hours to allow this to be possible.
Other changes have occurred for those that are candidates as well. Garbrandt said the deadline for campaign finance reporting also was extended. The post-election campaign finance report is due to the board of elections by 4 p.m. on June 5 and must reflect activities through May 29.
Garbrandt said there will be an extremely limited in-person voting on the day of the election from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the courthouse in the early voting office on Broadway. This is only for those who cannot receive mail at the address in which they are residing or those who qualify for a disability under the ADA.