Lorain County elections workers briefed on 'worst case scenario' of two primaries

SHEFFIELD TWP. — Mailing of overseas ballots for the May 3 primary has been halted at the Lorain County Board of Elections office as Ohio's battle over gerrymandered political maps continues. Secretary of State Frank LaRose has ordered all overseas ballots to be held until Ohio Supreme Court cases are resolved. The situation has lasted longer than anyone expected, with proposals for congressional and General Assembly district maps repeatedly being thrown out as unconstitutional. Otherwise, county Elections Director Paul Adams said preparations are continuing as normal, even though no one knows whether there will be one or two primaries. "I think we're in the same boat as everyone else. We're just waiting to see what happens," he said Monday. He held a morning meeting with department heads to make sure they're prepared "for the worst-case scenario" of holding two separate primaries if needed. In Adams' opinion, that possibility is a 50-50 toss-up — it's impossible to tell what will happen as state Republicans, ignoring Democrats' objections, provide map after map. So far, all have been rejected by the Republican-majority high court, with Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor tipping the balance. "As this process plays out, it seems it's getting more contentious, not less," Adams said. Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials, said separate primaries for local races and state and congressional races would be bad news. "It is our sincere desire that we find a way to move all the contests to sometime in the future instead of bifurcating the primary," he said in a phone interview Monday. Early voting is set to begin April 5. If that date comes without a resolution to the Supreme Court cases, all contests — even local ones — should be pushed to a later date, he said. Ohio Democrats have put forward June 21 as a possibility. "That's a fine date, and nothing wrong with that," unless the court fights drag into the beginning of June, Ockerman said. Two primaries would cost Ohio taxpayers an additional $20 million to $25 million, he estimated. According to Adams, the average Lorain County primary costs $350,000 to $400,000 and the last thing he wants is to double that price tag. Doing so "would be an incredible waste of money," he said. The second concern, Ockerman said, is that primaries are already low-turnout elections. Splitting them would be "abysmal" for voter participation, he predicted. Another concern: Almost every county across the state is already have trouble getting enough poll workers due to uncertainty about what will happen, Ockerman said. Thanks to supply chain issues, there's also a national paper shortage, he said. Boards of elections across Ohio have enough of the special damage- and tamper-resistant paper to hold spring and fall elections, but adding a third to the mix would be a stretch. Timing would also be a headache, Adams said. After the unofficial Election Night results are tallied, it usually takes the elections board two or three weeks to formally count and certify ballots, then complete any recounts that result. The state also requires an audit of each election, and officials must then prepare voting machines and electronic poll books, assign polling locations and finalize voter lists before the next election can be held. Doing all that between May 3 and June 21 would be a rush, Adams said — and rushing increases the potential for error. "The greatest enemy of any election official for any election is uncertainty," Ockerman said. Given enough time and clear rules, trained officials can pull off an election, he said. But put those rules in question as they are now, and it creates a lot of anxiety for both officials and voters, he said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.