Election observers say there are few problems in Ohio polls and are standing by
Members of the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition and its nonpartisan Election Protection Program said there were long lines at Ohio polling places, but the lines are moving and the few problems seen are being resolved.
“In general, the strong turnout we saw during the early voting period carried over into Election Day,” said Steve David of All Voting is Local.
In a press call Tuesday morning, the coalition said no “significant disruptions” had been reported at polling stations. The most significant activity involves changes to polling locations, an issue that local election boards and coalition poll watchers are helping voters resolve.
“We have sent staff into the field to complement the work our BOEs are doing, to provide additional signage and context to voters, encouraging them to verify that they are at the correct voting location,” David said.
More than 1,000 people have been trained by the Election Protection Program to become election observers, peacekeepers or legal observers, according to Catherine Turcer, head of the voting rights group Common Cause Ohio.
A new aspect of the coalition’s work this year was organizing legal aid before, during and after Election Day.
“To the extent possible, we do our best to record and document everything that happens on Election Day so that we are well positioned for any legal battles that may arise after Election Day,” said Maria Bruno, legal organizer for the coalition.
Poll watchers also monitor U.S. Department of Justice officials who visit Ohio counties. The federal agency said it will have monitors in Cuyahoga, Franklin and Medina counties. This is not unusual; the Department of Justice monitors every election.
According to the announcement, observers were placed in each state “to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws that fall within the Division’s jurisdiction.”
Bruno said voters shouldn’t interact with them, “but we definitely want to know if in someone’s voting experience they encounter people from the DOJ.”
“I hope they shouldn’t interfere with the vote in any way, and they shouldn’t go through that 100-foot barrier around the polling place, so if anyone witnesses anything to that effect, we want to know about it immediately,” Bruno said.
Overall, voters appeared enthusiastic as they spoke with poll watchers.
“We asked voters as they were leaving the polling place ‘how was their experience,'” said Petee Talley of the Ohio Coalition for Black Civic Participation. “Most, if not all, had a very positive experience. »
Voting rights advocates also cited 100,000 mail-in ballots currently pending in Ohio, ballots that will need to be placed in a drop box or delivered directly to local election boards. Since the deadline for mail-in ballots was changed on Election Day itself, mailing ballots Tuesday will likely mean they won’t be received in time to be counted.
Although poll watchers did not report significant problems with the photo ID requirements Ohio put in place, coalition members said the primary showed that the strictness of the law resulted in more than 700 provisional ballots being rejected.
“This is an ongoing problem and we are seeing the real impacts of the choice the Ohio Legislature made to pass this law,” David said.
Ohioans are required to present a valid photo ID, such as an unexpired driver’s license, at polling places to verify their identity. If voters do not have ID, they can vote using a provisional ballot (ballots are counted after Election Day) and can bring proper identification to their local board of elections within 4 days to ensure the ballot is counted.
Polling stations are open until 7:30 p.m. Voters who were already in line when the polls closed can stay in line and vote.
The Election Protection Hotline can be reached at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
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