Ohio primary election is still on for Tuesday
Amid virus concerns, voters urged to cast votes early.
COLUMBUS — With coronavirus concerns growing, officials are urging voters to vote early if possible before Tuesday’s election. It is too late for voters to vote by mail, but early voting is open today and Monday at county boards of elections offices. Voting hours today are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ohio is one of the big prizes Tuesday in the Democratic presidential primary.
For former Vice President Joe Biden, St. Patrick’s Day primaries in Ohio and three other states are a chance to continue his march to the nomination while for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Tuesday is a chance to revive his campaign.
Cedarville University political scientist Mark Caleb Smith said Ohio is Biden’s to lose.
“Barring some major shakeup in the race, it is hard to see Ber
nie making up the necessary ground to overtake Biden. While March 10 did not seal the nomination technically, the results will probably deflate the Sanders campaign,” Smith said. “My guess is that Biden will begin to limit his public appearances, not only in Ohio but elsewhere. His campaign can use the Coronavirus as a defensible excuse, but reducing media access will only help Biden at this point.”
President Donald Trump is on the ballot Tuesday in Ohio, but is unopposed in the Republican primary
Both Biden and Sanders heeded advice from public health officials and canceled rallies that had been planned for March 10 in Cleveland, and the two are scheduled to debate tonight without a live audience, due to coronavirus concerns. The debate also was moved from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. due to virus concerns. The debate airs on CNN tonight at 8 p.m.
Absentee ballots sent back by mail must be postmarked by Monday. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose ordered all county boards of elections to have curbside drop off of absentee ballots on Tuesday, Election Day, at the board offices — not the polling places.
Polls are open Tuesday 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Any voter in line by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
LaRose has said polling places will be given supplies such as hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes to keep voting equipment clean. Still, election officials are urging voters — especially senior citizens and those with health issues — to consider voting early.
The Ohio Democratic Party allocates its 136 delegates in proportion to the number of votes each candidate receives, with only candidates who receive at least 15% of the vote eligible for delegates. An additional 17 delegates are Ohio’s five Democrats elected to Congress and party leaders.
In addition to Ohio, Arizona, Florida and Illinois are also holding primaries on Tuesday.
A national poll by Quinnipiac University released Monday found 54% of Democrats or independents who lean Democrat say they would like to see Biden win while 35% favor Sanders.
The poll also found that in head-to-head matchups against President Donald Trump, Biden leads 52-41 while Sanders leads 49-42.
As of Tuesday, 336,531 absentee ballots had been requested by mail or in person and 194,522 votes had been cast early. Early voting is trending heavier among Democrats than Republicans, which makes sense given the Dems have had a contentious presidential primary while Trump is unopposed in Ohio’s GOP primary.
In addition to the presidential primary, voters will decide 482 local issues and questions across 83 counties.