News
DeWine Says Ohio’s Vote-By-Mail System Is Safe
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio officials say the state’s vote-by-mail process is safe and not corrupt, in contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent comments during a press briefing and on Twitter.
Trump called mail-in voting “horrible” and “corrupt,” saying there’s a “tremendous potential for voter fraud.”
Voting is still open for those who haven’t cast a ballot for the Ohio primary, but it’s mail-in only.
Gov. Mike DeWine says he hasn’t heard the president’s comments but says Ohio’s vote-by-mail process is safe.
“You know we postponed the election or we expanded the election basically because we didn’t think it was safe, but yes it’s safe for people to vote in Ohio and we’re asking them to do that,” says DeWine.
State elections officials have consistently said that voter fraud is rare.
Maggie Sheehan, spokesperson for Secretary of State Frank LaRose, issued a written statement saying, “Though we are preparing for every possible scenario, our expectation and hope is that we’ll be able to have a normal election in November. That said, it’s fortunate that Ohio has a long history of running secure elections, and that includes decades of voting by mail. From voter-specific ballot tracking and frequently maintained voter rolls to security measures at county boards of elections where ballots are handled and stored by a bipartisan team of election officials, Ohioans can be confident that their vote-by-mail ballots are as safe and secure as the votes cast on Election Day.”
The primary was extended after state officials closed the polls on March 17, fearing the large groups would increase the spread of coronavirus.
Voters can cast their absentee ballot by mail with a postmark date of April 27, or drop it off at their local board of elections by April 28.