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Akron Election Officials Skeptical On Ballot Envelope Change
By: Associated Press
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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Akron-area elections officials who didn’t count hundreds of absentee ballots because they lacked required postmarks aren’t sure whether plans to change the envelope size would solve the problem.
Over 800 Summit County ballots were discarded for the November election because of missing postmarks. Ohio’s elections chief has said he plans to require that future absentee ballots be returned in letter-sized envelopes, which could be run through a machine for automatic postmarks. Summit County is among those that have used larger envelopes.
The Akron Beacon Journal reports Summit County board members are skeptical. They say the number of ballots missing postmarks rose dramatically this year, after Akron’s mail started being processed in Cleveland. One member suggested staff might need to pick up absentee ballots directly from a Cleveland post office.