Every county board of elections must install a drop box at the boards' office that will be available 24 hours, seven days a week in the run up to Election Day on Nov. 3, in an order Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is calling a first-ever move in a general election.
Discussions about voting by mail have become more urgent because of concerns over COVID-19 and social distancing at polling places.
LaRose issued the directive after learning six months ago there were “only a scattered few” drop boxes in select Ohio county boards of elections and they were not always available, he said this week in a prepared statement.
Before this year's primary, House Bill 197 directed boards of elections to place drop boxes at the board office, the legislature had never before authorized drop boxes at all. Because HB 197 was temporary law, LaRose's order to require drop boxes this fall is actually an expansion of opportunities for voters.
“Today there are 88, and beginning Sept. 1 they will be available 24/7,” he said. “They can be used for the return of ballots AND [sic] the return of absentee ballot requests.”
Things you need to know today, Monday:
- DeWine issued Ohio’s Executive Response: A Plan of Action to Advance Equity, in response to the Minority Health Strike Force’s final report.
- DeWine announced a commitment to create the Ohio Governor’s Equity Advisory Board -- a permanent, ongoing group to help guide us as we address the underlying conditions and root causes contributing to disparities in life and health in Ohio.
- DeWine announced a new pop-up testing site in Montgomery County, scheduled for Aug. 18 at Kettering Fields, 444 N. Bend Drive, Dayton. A pop-up site also was announced for Aug. 21 in Middletown. Additional details on the Middletown site were not immediately available.
- DeWine issued challenges to colleges and universities to come up with ways to recruit more African Americans and other minorities to become teachers. He also challenged the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to do more with foster care, because the reality is that minority children are not adopted at the same rate as white children.
- An announcement on high school sports will be made Tuesday, DeWine said. The announcement will come with a restriction on the amount of fans, but alluded to family members being allowed to attend, he said, noting, “This will be a little disruptive for some people.”
Other things you should know today:
- Coronavirus: Local library introduces virtual short story group discussions
- 6 Ohio establishments cited overnight for violating COVID-19 orders
- Students in Ohio prohibited from using face shields as substitute for masks
LATEST STATE DATA: As of Monday afternoon, there have been at least 109,062 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 3,832 deaths, and 12,319 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 87,764 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus in the state.
Ohio has an estimated population of approximately 11.7 million, census records show.
[ Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]
There have been 1,843,274 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
A total of 12,167 health care workers have tested positive which is about 11 percent of the cases.
[ Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]
Cox Media Group
