Live Election Day Coverage in Ohio • Ohio Capital Journal

Election protection teams were present at the polls and no major problems were reported

The Ohio Voter Rights Coalition has been working since polls opened this morning to ensure voters get what they need and that Election Day goes smoothly.

In a press conference Tuesday, members of the coalition said the Election Protection Hotline has already received thousands of calls since early voting began, and as of this morning there have been about 170 calls today.

Most of those calls were about things like polling places and the identification required to vote, but some involved “isolated” technology issues in the election, according to Collin Marozzi, deputy policy director for the ACLU of Ohio.

These calls were handled and complaints were forwarded to the Ohio Secretary of State's Office and local election boards, which quickly resolved the issues. There have been emergency plans in place for months – such as: B. Spare paper ballots and secure ballot storage containers in case scanners fail.

“Fortunately, the process is really working as planned,” Marozzi said.

Counties with large populations see longer lines, as is common in those counties during presidential elections, and Marozzi said voter turnout was high across the state that day.

As polling locations accept all voters throughout the day, coalition volunteers will be present at polling locations and in a command center to answer calls and questions.

“We're casting a wide net, we're in every county, we're gathering all the information and trying to resolve everything as quickly as possible,” said Kayla Griffin, Ohio director of All Voting is Local.

The coalition urges voters to use existing rights to protect voting, including curbside voting for people with disabilities or mobility limitations.

Curbside voting is available and requires only that those wishing to vote attract the attention of a poll worker and request a curbside vote. Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, recommended voters bring someone who can go in and request the ballot.

“The most important thing is that someone who has a disability or mobility problem sees a line. “We don’t want him to go away, and we don’t want him to be on that line if that creates greater challenges for him,” Miller said. “They have the right to vote curbside and all they have to do is ask for that support.”

Anyone who arrives at the polling station just before closing time or exactly when the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening has the right to vote and should remain in line until they can cast their vote.

“As long as it’s their turn when the polls close, they can vote,” Miller said.

Miller, Griffin and Marozzi expressed confidence that Ohio's election system will produce proper certification of the state's votes later this month.

To date, the Election Protection Hotline has not received any complaints about uncounted votes or questions about the integrity of the process, nor have there been any reports of voter intimidation.

“We are proud of the bipartisan operations we have here in Ohio,” Miller said. “We trust that our election will go smoothly and that we can have confidence in the results. Our election officers are hard-working community servants.”