BUCYRUS―Shortly after 10 p.m. Monday evening, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine announced on Twitter that Ohio Health Director Amy Acton will order all polling locations closed as a health emergency due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
Crawford County Board of Elections member Maggie Barth said the board had been in contact with Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall on Monday evening regarding the ongoing situation after a lawsuit filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to delay the election until June had was denied by Judge Richard A. Frye.
“We received a voice call from Secretary of State Frank LaRose shortly after 10 p.m. We spoke with Matt Crall about the situation as the Ohio Health Director does not have any authority over elections. He explained that she does have the authority to close public buildings due to a health emergency and all polling places are located in public buildings,” said Barth late Monday night.
She said at this point, the primary election will not be held on Tuesday, March 17.
LaRose told state media outlets he will be seeking a solution through the courts to extend voting options so that every voter who wants to vote will be granted the opportunity.
In a news release earlier in the day on Monday, Dewine explained his reasoning for wanting to delay the election until June 2.
“During this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis, to conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus,” DeWine said in the release.
According to Acton as of Monday afternoon, there were 50 confirmed cases of the rapid-spreading coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in Ohio. Nationwide as of Monday evening, there were 4,585 confirmed cases with the exact number of cases being likely to be significantly higher.
This story will be updated if more changes occur overnight.