Voting by mail will mean lag for primary election results

Election Night version 2.0 may not hold all the answers. Ohio's coronavirus-inspired vote-by-mail drama could drag out results for days, according to Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams, because ballots can be mailed as late as Monday and still be counted when they arrive. Sure, Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have won their parties' nominations already by default. But institutions like Lorain County Community College and the Wellington Schools, which have issues on the ballot, don't have the same luxury. They'll have to wait for ballots to be counted, which means waiting on the U.S. Postal Service. Adams said he plans to post the first big batch of results just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. It will include all ballots cast before the original March 17 primary date. "We'll continue to update it as we scan and get information in," he said. There won't be any precincts reporting that night, because there will be no in-person voting. That huge detail has escaped many registered voters in Lorain County, said Adams. "There are individuals contacting us and asking us where their polling place is. And no, your polling location will not be open," he said. The only in-person voting will be for people with specific disabilities, and it will only be available at the board office in Sheffield Township. Ballots received by mail through Tuesday will be scanned, but not tabulated. That's an important legal distinction — the elections board computer system will hold all the information, but counts can't be made until after 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots have to be postmarked by Monday, April 27, or hand-delivered to the Board of Elections office on Tuesday. Adams said he expects the vast majority to be received by Friday, but the election count won't be closed out until May 8 under state law. Those numbers will still be unofficial. Through mid-May, elections workers will work to certify ballots and discard ones deemed invalid. One reassurance Adams is able to offer: Under Ohio House Bill 197, which extended the primary election period due to the pandemic, ballots can't be rejected due to the wrong date, within reason. Voters should have marked their absentee ballots for the March 17 election. Those who accidentally jotted April 27 or 28 instead can rest assured their vote will still count, he said. Even with 16 years of experience under his belt, Adams said this election has been trying. Officials have had to very quickly accommodate all the changes that were rammed into place by the General Assembly's COVID-19 response bill. They've also had to navigate all-new questions that arose. "Usually when you're in a really stressful situation, you can look back on precedence," Adams said. "In this case you can't do that... There's so many things that we're doing now that no one's contemplated it before." "At this point, I think the process that's being laid out, I'm hoping is going to play out without any more surprises," he said. Another bit of bright news: Around 52,000 Lorain County residents have already either voted or requested ballots. In a primary when an incumbent president is seeking re-election, Adams said he expects voter turnout of around 55,000. That means participation seems to be on track, despite poll closures. That could be dashed if people don't mail in their ballots on time, though, he said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.