BUCYRUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine may have wanted to change the date of the primary election for Ohio residents to June 2 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the state legislator has approved a bill to eliminate in-person voting all together.
The bill allows registered voters to submit an absentee ballot by mail.
According to Ruth Leuthold, director of the Crawford County Board of Elections, registered voters throughout the county may apply for an absentee ballot.
“They can call our office to request an application or print one from our website and mail it to us,” Leuthold said. “We will then mail them a ballot that they can mail back to us or drop off in our ballot box outside the courthouse by the main entrance.”
She said the applications for a ballot can also be returned by placing it in the ballot box. The courthouse is located at 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus.
Leuthold said the only voters permitted to cast their ballot in person are people that need an audio ballot. They may vote on April 28, the same day the election ends, and the unofficial count will be conducted.
She said the last day to request an absentee ballot is April 25 by noon and they must be returned by April 28 at 7:30 p.m. to be counted. All absentee ballots being mailed to the board of elections need to be postmarked by April 27.
“People need to request an application for an absentee ballot right away to start the process because it can take several days to complete the whole process through the mail,” Leuthold said.
Applications may be found on the Crawford County Board of Elections website or by calling 419-562-8721.