Community Corner
Republicans On Ohio Controlling Board Reject Prepaid Postage For Voters
A majority of Ohio Controlling Board members are not convinced there is a need to make voting by mail more convenient.
By
Tyler Buchanan
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A majority of Ohio Controlling Board members are not convinced there is a need to make voting by mail more convenient by prepaying for postage this fall.
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They made that determination Monday at a meeting held digitally because of COVID-19 safety protocols — a Zoom conference which began just 45 minutes after news broke that a Controlling Board member had tested positive for the virus.
That member, state Sen. Bob Peterson, R-Washington Court House, joined three other Republicans in voting no: Sen. Bill Coley of Liberty Twp., Rep. Scott Oeslager of North Canton and Rep. Shane Wilkin of Lynchburg.
Find out what's happening in Across Ohiofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The vote went 4-2, with two Democrats on the board voting to allow postage: Rep. Jack Cera of Bellaire and Sen. Vernon Sykes of Akron.
Ohioans wanting to vote absentee by mail will be on the hook for securing their own postage. Ballots are being mailed out to voters who request them the first week of October. (You can learn more about requesting an absentee ballot here.)
This story is being updated.
This story was originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. For more stories from the Ohio Capital Journal, visit OhioCapitalJournal.com.