The Governor of Ohio signs a bill today at 2 p.m. that was passed by the Ohio House and Senate yesterday resetting Ohio’s primary election.
Among the many provisions in the bill include making April 28 the new primary election day in Ohio. Despite April 28 being deemed “Election Day,” there will be no in-person voting taking place.
The new law instructs the Secretary of State to send a postcard to every registered voter in the state to notify them of “the methods by which the elector may obtain an application for absent voter’s ballots,” along with relevant deadlines. But the statute does not actually mail every voter an absentee ballot request. The ballot, itself, must be requested; instructions for how to request will be on the postcard.
If you have already voted, you do not need to vote in the primary again.
The bill calls for voting to be done by mail. Ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on April 28, or postmarked on or before April 27 and received by May 8 to count.
The Ohio state legislature passed the primary changes as part of an overarching coronavirus response bill.
Ohio’s primaries were thrown into chaos last week after DeWine said on the eve of the election that he did not believe it was safe for voters to head to the polls. DeWine said he did not have the authority to unilaterally postpone the election, and his administration supported a lawsuit that sought to delay the primary. After an Ohio court shot down that lawsuit, DeWine’s top public health office ordered polling places closed on Tuesday, effectively delaying the primary without legally pushing back the election date.