Graphics by WEWS.
Under a bill passed by the Ohio Senate shortening the voting schedule, nearly 3,000 Cuyahoga County ballots would be thrown out. Now the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether states like Ohio will be able to count absentee ballots mailed on Election Day after election night.
SB 293
When it comes to elections, every vote counts – especially in local races.
Data from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections show that 10 races had a vote margin of around 20, with six races within 10 and even a few ties.
Results from the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Cincinnati show at least 12 races were within 20 votes and eight were within 10 votes.
That’s why voting rights advocate Jen Miller of the League of Women Voters of Ohio says the state’s four-day grace period is necessary.
Ballots will still be counted if they are returned within four days of the election and if they are mailed before Election Day.
Cuyahoga County received 2,996 valid ballots during this period, which is more than there were any votes at all for some races.
So far, 3,373 ballots have been received since Tuesday; however, hundreds are incorrect. Of the total, 1,461 voters were registered Democrats, 611 were Republicans and 1,301 were registered voters with no party affiliation.
The electoral commission said more than 360 people could not be counted because they entered after the grace period.
“It is extremely important that every eligible voter can cast their ballot,” Miller said.
“Our concern with Senate Bill 293 would be that many votes would not count for something that is out of the voter’s control: mail speed.”
Concerns about the military
A majority of Republicans in the Ohio Senate voted in favor of SB 293, requiring the immense majority of ballots to be returned before polls close on election night.
When we first reported on this legislation in October, veterans expressed concerns about the disenfranchisement of active-duty military members.
Following our reports, legislators introduced an exception for voters in uniform and absent when voting abroad.
The case for SB 293
None of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s election audits found any evidence of widespread voter fraud, but Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said the bill could reassure skeptics.
“We continue to see people lose confidence in their election officials and the election systems in these states as uncertainty extends beyond election night,” McColley said.
For years, President Donald Trump and some Republican Party leaders have insisted, without evidence, that mail-in ballots are fraudulent.
Following his lead, red states began restricting access.
The Supreme Court will hear the case
Now the U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will decide whether ballots can be counted after Election Day as the Republican National Committee sues Mississippi, which has a similar law to Ohio.
“We may be empowered by the Supreme Court at some point in the future,” McColley said. “I think we should also look at the 50 democracy laboratories.”
Ohio would be no exception in states where the absentee deadline falls on Election Day.
In dozens of states, such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Michigan, ballots must be received on or before Election Day.
Miller says SB 293 will hurt voters.
Nearly 10,000 ballots were received in the four days after the 2024 presidential election, according to state data.
“Older citizens, people with disabilities, rural Ohioans, college students – these are all population groups that will be more likely to have to vote by mail, but may also be impacted by slower postal service,” she said.
The Ohio House will consider the bill in the coming months.
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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