With the furor over the delays in the post office delivery system, the pandemic, and the president questioning the validity of the upcoming election, voters are rightfully concerned about the 2020 voting process: early voting, absentee ballots, and the proper and legal way of returning absentee ballots to the board of elections.
Of course, you have the option of waiting until November 3, 2020 and going to your local polling place and casting your vote in person. The concern is that there will be limited polling places and workers, long lines and various attempts at voter suppression — especially in the black community. And in Cleveland, we always have the possibility of bad weather.
So here are your other options:
If you are a registered voter in Cuyahoga County you can go to the Cuyahoga County Board of Election at 2925 Euclid Avenue and vote early. Be sure and take a picture ID and take a few friends or relatives. Here is the schedule.
Weekdays October 6-16 @ 8am-5pm
Weekdays October 19-23 @ 8am-6pm
Saturday October 24 @ 8am-4pm
Sunday October 25 @ 1-5pm
Weekdays October 26-30 @ 8am-7pm
Saturday October 31 @ 8am-4pm
Sunday November 1 @ 1-5pm
Monday Nov 2 @ 8am-2pm
You can also vote absentee. In the past you needed a reason for voting absentee — you were out of town or ill. Under current Ohio law you do not have to give a reason. Just complete a request for an absentee ballot and mail it to the Board of Elections. They are available online and, in many locations, including local libraries.
Here is the link to the Cuyahoga Board of Elections site: boe.cuyahogacounty/vote-by-mail. Google your county and “board of elections” if you are in another county.
I am urging everyone to print out applications for absentee ballots — which is perfectly legal — and pass them out to your friends and relatives, especially the elderly. Take them to your church or house of worship and encourage others to do the same. Make sure your relatives, friends, and neighbors complete them, and mail them to the Board of Elections as soon as possible. It is the only way that you will get an absentee ballot.
I was told my someone at the BoE that as of last week they already have over 80,000 requests, so it is important to get your application in early so that you can get your ballot in plenty of time.
Once you receive your ballot in the mail, its important to complete it as soon as possible and return it to the board of elections. But therein lies the problem. To mail in your ballot, it takes two postage stamps. With the apparent delays in the postal service, the concern is whether your ballot will arrive on time or at all. If you are mailing your ballot, it is important to know that it has to be postmarked Election Day or earlier. But according to the Ohio Revised Code, it must arrive at the Board of Elections within 10 days of the election in order to be counted.
The best option is to drop your ballot at the drop box in the parking lot of the Board of Elections, which is available 24/7.
Sadly, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has ordered that each county can have only one place to drop off ballots, which makes no sense but that is his ruling.
So then the question arises, who can legally deliver your ballot to the collection box at the Board of Elections? According to Ohio Revised Code 3509.05, once a ballot is completed and sealed in the accompanying envelope, it may be personally delivered to the Board of Election “by the voter or the spouse of the voter, the father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandfather, grandmother, brother, or sister of the whole or half blood, or son, daughter, adopting parent, adopted child, stepparent, stepchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece of the voter.” So in other words, you can drop off the ballot of any person that is related to you.
Sadly, to comply with the law, you cannot pick up a bunch of ballots from your neighbors or church members or the local nursing home and do one large drop off. You cannot give your ballot to an Uber driver and have him or her drop it off.
But you can make voting a family affair. Make sure that everyone in your family gets their absentee ballot. Make sure that everyone completes the entire ballot — including the judges. Then select one person as the designated driver to take them all to the board of elections.
People fought too long and too hard for the right to vote. Do not give up that right especially in this most important election of the century. In this centennial year of women’s suffrage, every woman should cast a vote — you owe it to the women who fought for that right. It is worth the drive to make sure your vote is delivered and counted! America will thank you for it.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection, is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission and president of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.
One Response to “Make Absentee Voting a Family Affair”
Penny Jeffrey
Excellent advice! Don’t be afraid to vote early in person or by mail! If you are planning to vote on election day, be aware that with social distancing the lines will be very long, and probably outside the building. How long do you want to stand outside if it 40° and raining?