In case you missed it… Even as Donald Trump continues to push debunked conspiracy theories about voter fraud, Gov. Mike DeWine is assuring Ohioans that the state’s primary election — which will be concluded primarily by vote-by-mail — is safe.
DeWine told Ohio Public Radio:
“You know we postponed the election or we expanded the election basically because we didn’t think it was safe, but yes it’s safe for people to vote in Ohio and we’re asking them to do that.”
DeWine told CNN’s Chris Cuomo:
“… we have voting for four weeks and we do it every election, and we have early voting, we let people go in actually to the board of elections and vote, we let them go in the Sunday before the election, but for 28 days, they have a right to go in and they also can do absentee ballots. So, we’re used to doing that. Frank LaRose, who’s our secretary of state, you know, I have great confidence in him. My lieutenant governor was the previous secretary of state, Jon Husted, and, you know, they know how to run elections and we’ve got a lot of experience in this, so, we didn’t really worry about, you know, any kind of fraud, as far as that was concerned.”
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Ohio officials say the state’s vote-by-mail process is safe and not corrupt, in contrast to President Donald Trump’s recent comments during a press briefing and on Twitter.
- Gov. Mike DeWine says he hasn’t heard the president’s comments but says Ohio’s vote-by-mail process is safe.
- “You know we postponed the election or we expanded the election basically because we didn’t think it was safe, but yes it’s safe for people to vote in Ohio and we’re asking them to do that,” says DeWine.
- State elections officials have consistently said that voter fraud is rare.
- Maggie Sheehan, spokesperson for Secretary of State Frank LaRose, issued a written statement saying, “Though we are preparing for every possible scenario, our expectation and hope is that we’ll be able to have a normal election in November. That said, it’s fortunate that Ohio has a long history of running secure elections, and that includes decades of voting by mail. From voter-specific ballot tracking and frequently maintained voter rolls to security measures at county boards of elections where ballots are handled and stored by a bipartisan team of election officials, Ohioans can be confident that their vote-by-mail ballots are as safe and secure as the votes cast on Election Day.”
LISTEN/WATCH NOW:
Ohio Public Radio: Responding To Trump’s Comments, DeWine Says Ohio’s Vote-By-Mail System Is Safe
CNN (Cuomo Prime Time): Ohio governor: Postponing primary wasn’t an easy decision