Government & Politics

Election 2020

2020 is looking to be a pivotal year in politics. But this year's elections are about much more than the race for the White House. And the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a complicating factor. WKSU, our colleagues at public radio stations across Ohio and the region and at NPR will bring you coverage of all the races from the national to the local level.

Ohio's Secretary of State Says He's Pleased with Early Vote Efforts

The Statehouse News Bureau | By Jo Ingles

Published November 1, 2020 at 11:23 PM EST

Sec. of State Frank LaRose (R) — Secretary of State Frank LaRose says the more Ohioans vote early, the less the strain will be on Election Day. He’s pleased with what he’s seeing so far.

Early vote centers throughout the state have been busy all weekend. In fact, they’ve been busy since October 6, when Ohioans could begin voting.

The state's election chief is happy about that.

“We’ve seen a tripling in the number of early voters in the state compared to any past election. We’ve seen a doubling in the number of absentee voters compared to past elections," LaRose said. "And that’s really exciting. We could be in a situation, and I’m not in the prediction business, but we could be in a situation where, before the polls open at 6:30 on November 3, potentially more than half of the votes in the state could have already been cast," LaRose said Sunday.

As usual, LaRose says early absentee votes will be the first ones shown on Election night. He says Ohioans might know the winner on Election night but if it is close, he says the winner might not be determined immediately.