Don't Wait To Vote By Mail In Cuyahoga County, Officials Warn

Cuyahoga County officials are concerned about delays in local mail delivery as changes in United States Postal Service operations face national scrutiny.

Speaking at a news briefing on Friday, County Executive Armond Budish warned residents that anyone who plans to vote by mail in the November presidential election should begin the process now.

“For those of you who don’t want to vote in person, and prefer voting from your home, I have some strong advice for you: get your ballot application in now, right now, today,” Budish said.

In Ohio, all registered voters can vote by mail. Ballots can be requested online at  443vote.com.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections will begin mailing out ballots on October 6. Budish recommended people immediately fill out the ballot and send it back.

The county executive's comments come on the heels of a national controversy about operations at the U.S. Postal Service. 

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was questioned by U.S. senators on Friday after he walked back plans for operational changes that drew heavy criticism.

The U.S. Postal Service that he leads has suffered from financial problems for years but DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser, chose this summer to cut overtime, withdraw sorting machines and impose other changes that have effectively reduced the system's throughput.

Democrats charged that was part of a scheme by President Trump to sabotage the transit of ballots this year following weeks of sustained criticism by Trump of voting by mail —  even though that's how the president votes.

DeJoy defended his leadership of the Postal Service on Friday and sought to reassure senators that his agency would be able to deliver the nation's election mail "securely and on time," calling it a "sacred duty."

Budish, who is a Democrat, said he is concerned many Cuyahoga County residents may choose to vote by mail to limit coronavirus exposure, or to avoid long lines.

He warned that voters may see longer lines at the polls due to a poll worker shortage, which may result in consolidated polling locations.

“The poll workers who have been doing this for years tend to be older. Now, because of COVID, many of them are worried about their health and may just not want to work the polls,” Budish said.

He said the county is in urgent need of more poll workers, or the resulting delays will be “horrendous.” This week, Budish sent a letter to business owners urging them to give their employees the day off, with pay, to work the polls.

Those who volunteer will also receive $250 or more from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

During the Friday afternoon briefing, Cuyahoga County Board of Health officials also addressed the county’s recent change in coronavirus emergency level.

Cuyahoga County was moved from a Level 3 red level to a Level 2 orange level this week by state health officials. Despite the positive change, local health officials said it would not change its recommendations for how schools should operate during the pandemic.

County health officials last month recommended that all schools start remotely for the fall semester.

“We understand that schools may exercise their discretion as they work through their final decision processes,” Health Commissioner Terry Allan said.

The county is following guidance from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) if there is a coronavirus cluster at a school, said Romona Brazile, co-director of prevention and wellness for the county.

The board of health will continue contact tracing to see if there are clusters, she said.

“We understand that this could be very scary, but it will be necessary to minimize the spread of COVID in schools,” Brazile said.