Government & Politics

Election 2020

2020 is looking to be a pivotal year in politics. But this year's elections are about much more than the race for the White House. And the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a complicating factor. WKSU, our colleagues at public radio stations across Ohio and the region and at NPR will bring you coverage of all the races from the national to the local level.

An Update on the Battle Over Drop Boxes in Ohio

The Statehouse News Bureau | By Jo Ingles

Published September 28, 2020 at 10:24 PM EDT

ballot drop box at Delaware County Board of Elections — The ballot drop box at the Delaware County Board of Elections has a drive-thru behind the building.

With under two weeks to go before early voting begins, two courts are still considering the arguments over whether Ohio’s counties will be allowed to have more than one ballot drop box.

The 10th District Court of Appeals is considering whether Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s order to allow only one ballot drop box per county is unreasonable or arbitrary, as the Ohio Democratic Party argues. Or, Appeals Court Judge Susan Brown could buy LaRose’s argument that his decision is reasonable with so little time before the election. Steve Huefner with the OSU Moritz College of Law says current Ohio law doesn’t say anything about drop boxes.

“It simply says a voter who has chosen to use a mail in ballot can return it to the director (of the Board of Elections) either by personally delivering it or by mailing it back," Huefner says.

A federal court has said it will wait to see the ruling of the state appeals court before weighing in.