OH's grace period for voting absentee could soon be eliminated

By Mike Moen

When Ohioans prepare to vote in next year's midterms, they may have another new restriction to navigate. Civic engagement voices are warning about the state potentially eliminating the grace period for returning absentee ballots post-Election Day.

Gov. Mike DeWine will soon decide whether to sign a bill pushed through the GOP led Legislature. It would only allow election offices to count absentee ballots if they arrive before polls close on Election Day. The grace period has already been whittled down in recent years, currently sitting at four days.

Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, said it would be logistically hard for local administrators to make another adjustment and inform voters.

"They don't have unlimited resources," she explained. "So, it is highly likely that a lot of voters will go into the next election cycle and have no idea that these rules have changed and then their ballots are gonna get thrown out."

Republican lawmakers contend they're preparing in advance of a possible U.S. Supreme Court decision stemming from a Mississippi case. There was also pressure from the Trump administration - with threats of litigation through the Justice Department - following an executive order suggesting these moves align with election integrity. But Miller counters that Ohio's absentee system is secure.

Bethe Goldenfield, board member with the Warren County Board of Elections, fears this would disenfranchise a host of voters.

"Rural voters, disabled voters, elderly voters that prefer to do this by mail," she said. "Clearly, students that study out of state."

She also noted the speed of mail service is more unpredictable these days, wondering whether the Postal Service would be able to keep up with any rush of ballots to meet a new deadline. The bill does keep the grace period in place for military and overseas voters. In the 2024 presidential election, just over one million Ohioans voted absentee.