A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on mail ballots will not change how Ohioans vote ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said. LaRose spoke at a National Voter Registration Day event at Edison Brewing Company in Gahanna on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
"The bottom line is it doesn't change the way Ohio votes," LaRose told 10TV.
The Supreme Court on Sept. 15 rejected the Trump administration's request to lift a lower court order blocking new Postal Service requirements for mail ballots. The blocked rule would have required states to provide lists of mail-ballot recipients and use specially approved envelopes with unique barcodes. The Postal Service could have refused ballot mail that did not comply.
The unsigned order said the government "is unlikely to succeed on the merits" of its challenge, ABC News reported. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the majority but wrote separately that the rule's timing violated federal administrative law because officials did not have enough time to comply, according to 10TV.
LaRose, a Republican, said the change would not have been logistically feasible. Military and overseas absentee ballots were scheduled to go out Friday, Sept. 18, and regular absentee voting opens Oct. 6.
He also questioned whether the Postal Service should play a role in determining voter eligibility. LaRose said he is "skeptical about whether the Postal Service is the right entity that can identify when somebody is eligible or not."
Ohio does not automatically send absentee ballots. Voters who want to vote by mail must submit an application with identifying information. County boards of elections check identification and signatures twice: once when the application arrives and again when the completed ballot is returned.
LaRose called Ohio's absentee system "secure" and "accurate." Asked whether the court's decision makes Ohio elections less secure, he said it does not.
What Gahanna and New Albany voters need to know
The Nov. 3 general election carries a heavy local ballot. Ten Gahanna charter amendments, Issues 18 through 27, cover topics including mayoral primaries, elected-official qualifications, ward boundaries, the city attorney's office, planning commission attendance, zoning appeals, a charter review commission and non-discrimination protections, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Key deadlines from the Franklin County election schedule:
- Voter registration closes: 9 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5
- Absentee voting opens: Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Absentee application deadline: Tuesday, Oct. 27
- Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3
One change already in effect: regular absentee ballots must now be received by county boards of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Kay Snyder, a Gahanna resident who is blind, told 10TV at the brewery that mail voting matters for people who have difficulty voting in person. KT Taylor, another patron, said she trusts Ohio's system.
About 1 million Ohioans voted by mail in the November 2024 presidential election, Signal Ohio reported. Ohio has mailed unsolicited absentee ballot request forms to every registered voter ahead of every midterm or presidential election since 2012.
Voters can track their absentee ballot status online through the secretary of state's website.
