Statehouse News Bureau

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Printer And Distributor Blames Higher Than Expected Demand For Delayed Mail-In Ballots

By Jo Ingles

Published October 16, 2020 at 8:33 PM EDT

A direct mail company that’s been hired to print and distribute absentee ballots to Ohioans who requested them has not been able to get them to voters as fast as was promised.

Midwest Direct was hired by 20 Ohio counties to print and distribute ballots, but tens of thousands have not yet been sent out.

A written statement by the company’s CEO, Richard T. Gebbie, said Midwest Direct did not anticipate the demand for mail in ballots but has brought in extra equipment and staff and adds they are working 16-hour days to meet the backlog. And the statement says the company is working with Ohio’s Secretary of State to process the ballots quickly.

The New York Times notes Midwest Direct’s owners support President Trump, but there’s no evidence the company did anything wrong.