By Megan Alley
Sun Reporter

Ohio’s 2020 presidential primary election has been changed to an all-mail vote, through April 28, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.

Ohio was set to hold its election on March 17, but after a series of back-and-forth actions from state leaders and the courts, the decision to officially suspend in-person voting came down early in the morning on Election Day, before the polls were set to open.

Now, following the Ohio General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 197 — a piece of legislation aimed at dealing with the state’s response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic — on March 25, April 28 has been set as the final day of Ohio’s primary election, which will be conducted nearly exclusively by mail.

The new law allows for limited in-person voting — available only for individuals with disabilities who require in-person voting and those who do not have a home mailing address — on April 28, which will only be held at boards of elections early vote centers, not at precinct polling locations, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s website.

The timeline of actions surrounding Ohio’s 2020 presidential primary election is:

— Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced on March 15 that the primary election would take place as scheduled.

— Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, during a press conference on March 16, recommended that the election be suspended to June 2. However Ohio’s governor lacks authority to delay the election on her/his own.

— Later on March 16, an elderly woman filed a lawsuit in Franklin County, requesting that the primary election be delayed; in general, she claimed that her age made her especially vulnerable to the virus, and that voting at the polls during the pandemic would put her at risk of contracting the deadly virus.

— Later still on March 16, Franklin County Court of Common Please Judge Richard denied the request to delay the Ohio primary election.

— Then, in the evening on March 16, Ohio Director of Health Amy Acton ordered the polls closed as a health emergency.

— Early on March 17, the Supreme Court of Ohio denied a political candidate’s request to let the primary continue as scheduled.

— On March 25, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill that sets April 28, 2020 as the final day of Ohio’s primary election.

Here are the details of the all-mail primary election:

— Voters may cast their ballot via mail until April 28. Ballots must be postmarked by April 27 and received by the board of elections by May 8 to be counted.

— The office of the Clermont County Board of Elections is open by appointment only, and a drop box is available at the office at 76 S. Riverside Drive in Batavia for people who need to submit election materials.

— The deadline to request an absentee ballot is three days before the election; primary election absentee ballot applications must be received no later than 12 p.m. on April 25.

— Voters may print their own absentee voter application at www.voteohio.gov. Voters who don’t have a printer may call the Clermont County Board of Elections at 513-732-7275 to request that an application be mailed to them.

— No new voter registrations will be accepted to participate in the primary election, as voter registration for the election closed on Feb. 18, and remains closed.

Tabulation of votes will start on April 28 after 7:30 p.m., and unofficial results will be available that day. Official results are expected to be available between May 13 and May 19.

For more information, visit the Secretary of State’s “2020 Primary Frequently Asked Questions” webpage or the Clermont County Board of Elections website.

The leadership team at the Clermont County Board of Elections continues to respond with quickness and care throughout the changes in the timeline of this election.

County Board of Elections Director Julia Carney said in a phone interview on March 30 that she expects her department to mail out an additional 20,000 absentee ballots this election.

All those extra mailings means increased spending on postage, and increased staffing costs.

“We are required to provide a postage paid envelope with every ballot that we send out; so typically, if somebody votes absentee, they’re required to pay the postage, but in this case, the legislature decided this was the way we were going to do it, as all mail,” she explained. “The boards of elections are required to pay for the return postage on the ballot.”

She added, “I anticipate that if we are not reimbursed by the state, that we will have to go the county commissioners to ask for additional funding for this.”

While many other agencies are tapering down their work, the Clermont County Board of Elections is experiencing an increase in demand.

“Our phones have been heavy with people calling in with absentee ballot requests to be mailed to them,” she said, adding that she’s had to bring in additional staff to field calls, mail out absentee ballot applications and review the applications.

The absentee ballots themselves are mailed out using a mail house located in Cincinnati.

With increased demand for services and staffing amid the coronavirus pandemic, Carney said that she and her team, are, “taking precautions.”

She explained, “They wear gloves when they open the mail. We sanitize everything at the end of each day, and we try to go through and wipe down door handles a couple of times a day. All of us are spread out so that we are six feet apart, and we try to keep our social distancing as best we can.”