by Wayne Ohio | Apr 27, 2020 | Blog
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Apr. 27, 2020 — In-person voting for the primary election to be held on Tuesday, Apr. 28 has been limited by the Ohio General Assembly due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to Wayne County Board of Elections (BOE) Director Julie Leathers Stahl, only specific individuals will be permitted to visit the polling location in-person to cast their ballot. The only polling location will be at the board of elections office located at 200 Vanover Street, Wooster. Regular polling locations will not be open.
“Voters coming to our polling location will be required to maintain physical distancing and should adhere to the instructions of our staff, signage and floor markings to ensure these requirements are followed,” Stahl said. “Our staff will be practicing safe and sanitary measures in the polling location.”
Voters that registered by Feb. 18, 2020, that have not voted in the 2020 Primary must belong to one of the following categories to vote in-person on Tuesday:
Voters who have a disability requiring the use of an accessible DRE (direct-recording electronic) voting machine.
Voters that are unable to receive mail at their place of residence or other location.
In addition, any voter that requested an absentee ballot by the Apr. 25 deadline and did not receive it, may enter the polling location for assistance.
Ohio law does not permit any voter that does not belong to one of the two categories, or that failed to receive a properly requested absentee ballot by Apr. 25, to vote enter the building.
According to Stahl, posters from the office of Secretary of State Frank LaRose will be placed at the Wayne County BOE office on Election Day to inform voters.
For additional information, visit www.WayneCountyOH.gov.
Posted by Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County Government.
by Wayne Ohio | Apr 8, 2020 | Blog
COLUMBUS, OH, Apr. 2020 — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose today released the postcard that Ohio voters will soon receive as part of the effort to complete the 2020 Ohio primary election. In-person voting on March 17th was blocked by an order from Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton to combat the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19, following an announcement by Governor Mike DeWine on March 16th that Ohioans over the age of 65 should remain home and barring gatherings of greater than 50 people.
The Ohio General Assembly then met to set April 28th as the date on which the primary election would be complete and directed Secretary LaRose to mail a postcard to all registered voters in the state informing them about how to request an absentee ballot to vote by mail. The legislation, H.B. 197, passed the General Assembly with a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
The 7.8 million postcards are currently in the data validation and printing phase. They are expected to begin arriving in mailboxes next week. Printing, applicable fees, and postage is estimated to be $2.4 million.
Interested voters may request a vote-by-mail ballot in one of the following ways:
1. Visit VoteOhio.gov, print, and fill out the vote-by-mail ballot request form, sign it, affix postage, and mail it to your county board of elections.
2. Call your county board of elections and ask them to send you a ballot request form, fill out the form, sign it, affix postage, and mail it to your county board of elections.
3. Voters who can’t print their own form may also simply write the following information on a blank sheet of paper and mail it to their board of elections:
· Full name
· Date of birth
· Full registration address including county
· Address where the ballot should be mailed if different from your registration address
· One of the these: Ohio driver’s license number OR last four of your social security number OR include a copy of an acceptable form of ID
· State that “I’m a qualified elector and I’m requesting an absentee ballot for the March 17th Ohio primary”
· Indicate if you want a: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, OR Issues Only ballot (choose only one)
· Sign it
· Today’s date
· Phone number (optional, but suggested)
· Email address (optional, but suggested)
Posted by Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.
by Wayne Ohio | Mar 26, 2020 | Blog
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, March 26, 2020 — The Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 197 on March 25, 2020 setting the postponed Ohio Primary to be concluded by April 28, 2020. There will be NO regular in-person voting for this Election. Applications for Absentee Ballots BY MAIL will be accepted for Primary Election 2020. Applications are available online at www.WayneCountyOH.gov and can be mailed to:
Wayne County Board of Elections
200 Vanover Street
Wooster, OH 44691
[ more information ]
Posted by Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.
by Wayne Ohio | Mar 18, 2020 | Blog
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, BOARD OF ELECTIONS, Mar. 2020 — As directed by the Ohio Secretary of State via Directive 2020-06, we are accepting Applications for Absentee Ballots BY MAIL for Primary Election 2020. Applications are available online at www.WayneCountyOH.gov and can be mailed to Wayne County Board of Elections 200 Vanover Street Wooster, OH 44691
We have set up a pickup station for Absentee Ballot Applications in our lobby at 200 Vanover Street (upstairs). If you have already cast a ballot – either in person or by mail – your vote will be counted without any further action needed! We are asking that the public refrain from coming to our offices as much as possible given the current health restrictions set forth by the Ohio Department of Health. However, we are open and willing to assist you in person, if necessary. Our office will be happy to assist you by telephone at 330-287-5480 or via email at Wayne@OhioSoS.gov. See release HERE.
Posted by Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County Government.
by Wayne Ohio | Mar 16, 2020 | Blog
COLUMBUS, OH, Mar. 2020 — Thanks to the leadership of Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), Ohio has led the nation in responding to the coronavirus crisis. Following their lead, Secretary LaRose has utilized their expert counsel and advice to execute every available option at his disposal to run a safe, secure, fair, and healthy primary election. The county boards of elections and thousands of patriotic poll workers have worked tirelessly to prepare for election day and should be commended for their incredible dedication to civic duty.
Keeping Ohioans safe and voting accessible. Through March 15, guidance from the ODH indicated it would be safe to vote on election day. However, new information has led ODH to recommend Ohioans who are 65 and older to self-quarantine in their homes, making it challenging for these individuals to vote on March 17. In response, we expect a lawsuit that postpones the March 17 election and shifts it to a new day. Because the authority to shift election day does not reside with the Ohio Secretary of State, this change must be enacted by either a legal order or an act of the state legislature.
If ordered by the court, Secretary LaRose is prepared to implement an alternative to the March 17 election. The first presidential nominating convention is the Democratic National Convention beginning July 13. It’s essential to have enough time for Ohio to hold an election, certify the results, and allocate our delegates prior to that convention. If a judge were to order the primary election should not be held on March 17, Secretary LaRose is prepared to recommend moving election day to June 2. More details will be forthcoming.
All votes already submitted will count. It’s important that voters who have already submitted their vote by mail or in-person know that their vote will be counted.
OUTCOME: These are certainly unprecedented times, and Secretary LaRose has implemented the guidance of the Ohio Department of Health every step of the way. As this situation has evolved, we are once again following expert consultation in order to keep Ohioans safe. If ordered, by moving Ohio’s election day we can ensure Ohio voters have every opportunity to have their voice heard and stay healthy in the process.
Posted by Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.
