In North Carolina Wednesday, President Trump told voters to cast a ballot by mail then go to vote in person later. He says if they are declined the right to vote, they’ll know their mail-in ballot counted. But it is illegal for voters in Ohio to do that.
Jen Miller with the League of Women Voters of Ohio says doing what Trump suggested, even if it’s just to test the mail in ballot system, is illegal.
“It is absolutely illegal to attempt to vote twice. We do not want to see Ohio citizens doing that," Miller says.
Miller and Secretary of State Frank LaRose suggest voters use the online feature that allows them to track their mail in ballots instead. All 88 county board of elections have the feature: VoteOhio.gov/Track.
LaRose says a voter who is marked in the pollbook as requesting an absentee ballot will be given a provisional one if they show up in person to vote. And only one vote will count.
But knowingly casting two votes in one election is against Ohio law and voters who do that have been prosecuted in the past.
President Trump, who himself votes by mail-in ballots, has questioned the validity of them recently. Trump has made baseless claims about mail-in ballots being used as a vehicle to commit voter fraud.
Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible. On Election Day, or Early Voting,..— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
.....go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen’s right to do). If your Mail In Ballot arrives....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
....after you Vote, which it should not, that Ballot will not be used or counted in that your vote has already been cast & tabulated. YOU ARE NOW ASSURED THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED, it hasn’t been “lost, thrown out, or in any way destroyed”. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
LaRose has repeatedly said Ohio has a system with a lot of checks and balances. Voters who are concerned about putting their ballots in the mail system can deposit them in a drop box at their county board of elections. Or voters can vote, in person, beginning on October 6th and up until Election Day.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau. 9(MDAxMzY2MjQ0MDEyMzcyMDQ5MzBhZWU5NA001))
