{"id":2093332,"date":"2023-11-07T18:50:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T23:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-students-say-they-never-received-mail-in-ballot-ahead-of-election\/"},"modified":"2023-11-07T18:52:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T23:52:23","slug":"ohio-students-say-they-never-received-mail-in-ballot-ahead-of-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-students-say-they-never-received-mail-in-ballot-ahead-of-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio students say they never received mail-in ballot ahead of election"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fohio-students-say-they-never-received-mail-in-ballot-ahead-of-election%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2093332&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Ohio Student \u200dVoters Face Challenges \u2063in Accessing\u2062 Mail-In Ballots<\/h2>\n<p>Ohio student \u200dvoters, who\u2064 are set\u200d to vote on the protection of access to abortion services in the state \u200cand the legalization of marijuana Tuesday, are reporting they never received a\u2062 mail-in \u2062ballot.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re getting a large number\u200d of complaints that are really kind of centered around younger people on college campuses \u200cthat are not receiving their mail ballots,\u201d Nazek Hapasha \u200bwith the League of Women Voters\u2062 of Ohio told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>State Races \u2064to Watch in the\u200d 2023\u2064 Elections<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWhile we \u2063don&#8217;t know the exact\u200d origin of the issue, we do know that in all of the instances that\u200b we&#8217;re tracking, the board of elections\u200d has \u200dreceived the request and\u2063 sent the ballot,\u201d\u2064 Hapasha added.<\/p>\n<p>Hapasha said while mail delays\u2064 can be blamed partly for the problem, there is an additional concern, specifically on college campuses,\u200d of a \u201cmiddleman\u201d that further complicates the process. Each\u2064 college campus has a central\u2062 mail facility, \u2064but colleges\u200b often deal with their mail services differently.<\/p>\n<p>Hapasha noted\u200d the organization has been in \u200dtouch with Ohio\u2019s secretary of state to dig further into the problem \u2064popping up\u200c on various campuses such as Ohio State, Kent\u200d State, Oberlin College, \u2062and others.<\/p>\n<p>Voters\u2063 who have already mailed an absentee\u2062 ballot can track it through an online \u2062tool provided\u200b by the state. Those who never\u2062 received their mail ballot can \u2063go to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-dem-caught-hours-before-election-driving-on-suspended-license-to-steal-campaign-signs\/\" title=\"Virginia Dem Caught Hours Before Election Driving on Suspended License To Steal Campaign Signs\">local polling place<\/a> and cast \u200ca\u200d provisional ballot,\u2064 which is the same \u200cas a regular \u200cballot but \u200dwon\u2019t be counted until election officials can verify \u2064the voter&#8217;s eligibility.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPart of the problem is that the\u2063 Board of \u2062Elections tracking system doesn&#8217;t \u2063sync with\u2064 USPS tracking,\u201d Mia \u2062Lewis, associate director \u2064of Common\u2063 Cause Ohio, told the\u2062 Washington Examiner. \u201cPart of it is that\u2062 new \u2063voting laws make it much more challenging for voters because they may not have\u2062 the required photo ID.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This year, Ohioans will weigh in on\u2064 two major topics: Issue 1, a constitutional amendment to \u2064enshrine the right to abortion in the state, and Issue 2, the legalization of recreational marijuana. They \u2064are issues that hit home with younger voters.<\/p>\n<p>Generation Z\u200d and millennial voters have been\u200c bucking voting trends in recent years, showing up during\u200c nonpresidential \u2063elections \u2064in those that typically see a lower\u2063 turnout. According to\u2063 the Census Current Population \u200cSurvey Voting and Registration Supplement, 28.4% of voters ages \u206318 to 24 cast a \u200cballot in 2022, showing that young people are more \u2063engaged recently than in the past few\u200c decades.<\/p>\n<p>However, college students are facing barriers to casting their ballot after the\u2063 state passed \u200done of the strictest voter ID\u2062 requirements in the\u2063 nation that went into effect this year. An Ohio driver&#8217;s license or state\u200d ID card must be unexpired to vote, and it allows \u2062a passport to be presented. \u200cThe new\u200d law\u2064 eliminates all \u200ddocumentation \u2062without a photo, \u2064like \u2063a bank\u200d statement, government check, or utility bill, for in-person \u200dvoting or registration.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt should be\u2063 an \u200deasy and convenient \u2063process,\u201d Hapasha said about encouraging students to vote by mail following the new voting laws. \u200c\u201cFor \u200cthose students that are out of state students that \u200cdon&#8217;t \u200chave an Ohio photo\u200b ID and don&#8217;t have a passport \u2062that they can use\u200b to vote, \u2064that&#8217;s really the easiest way \u2062for them to vote because\u200c getting an\u200c in-state\u2064 ID just to cast \u200ca ballot is really going \u200bto be inconvenient and it&#8217;s a hassle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>VoteRiders, a national organization that helps \u200cvoters obtain the proper\u2062 ID,\u2064 agreed\u200b the new\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-students-say-they-never-received-mail-in-ballot-ahead-of-election\/\" title=\"Ohio students say they never received mail-in ballot ahead of election\">voting laws negatively affect<\/a> out-of-state student voters.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNon-photo-ID options like utility bills \u200bprovided by their schools, which many students used to\u2063 use, are no longer accepted at the polls. If mail-in ballots were never\u2062 received, these students may\u2063 likely have been caught in a tough spot and left without any \u2064way to provide \u2064an accepted ID at the \u200dpolls,\u201d Vashitta \u2062Johnson, Ohio coalition coordinator for VoteRiders, told the \u200dWashington Examiner.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The updated \u200dmeasure poses a threat to out-of-state students \u200bwho need to verify their identity before voting. Students can\u2019t use Social Security\u2062 cards or a student ID to \u200cprove their identity,\u200d but passports or a military ID\u2063 are acceptable when casting an absentee ballot.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cAnything\u2063 that makes voting more complicated, intimidating, and confusing suppresses the vote,\u200c particularly for students, Lewis \u200dsaid. \u200d\u201cOhio could\u2063 do\u2064 a better job making sure that students have\u2063 a positive \u2064experience when\u2062 they\u2062 vote for the first \u2062time. We want to \u2062encourage a new generation of voters, \u2064not make them jump through unnecessary hoops.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK\u200d HERE\u2064 TO READ MORE\u2064 FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the potential consequences of the Board\u2062 of\u2062 Elections tracking system not syncing with USPS \u2063tracking in regards to monitoring\u2062 the status of mailed absentee ballots in\u200d Ohio<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200dntation previously accepted, such as\u2063 utility bills or bank statements.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the\u200c requirement \u2063for a valid photo ID has led\u2062 to concerns among student voters who may not possess the necessary identification. Many\u200c college students do not have a\u2062 driver&#8217;s license or \u200cstate ID, especially those who are from \u200cout of state\u2062 or international students. This\u200b poses a significant hurdle for them in exercising their right to vote.<\/p>\n<p>The issue of accessing mail-in ballots further \u200dcompounds the challenges faced \u2062by Ohio student voters. The reported cases of students not receiving their mail-in \u200bballots raise questions about the effectiveness \u200cand efficiency \u2062of the ballot distribution system. While mail delays may\u2064 play a role, the presence of a \u200d&#8221;middleman&#8221; on\u2062 college campuses,\u2063 such \u200das a central\u200b mail facility, adds another layer\u200c of complexity\u2064 to \u2062the process.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062League of Women \u200cVoters of Ohio has been actively engaged in addressing the \u200bissue. They have reached out to the state&#8217;s secretary of state and are working to investigate the problem. The\u200d organization believes that\u200c the boards of elections \u200din \u2063these instances have received the requests for mail-in ballots but the \u200dballots themselves have \u200dnot reached the intended recipients.<\/p>\n<p>In response to these challenges, Ohio offers a provisional ballot\u200b option for voters who never received their mail-in ballot. Voters can go to their local\u2062 polling \u200dplace and cast a provisional ballot, which is the \u2063same as a regular ballot\u200c but will only be \u2062counted after\u200b election officials verify the voter&#8217;s eligibility. However, \u2063this solution is not ideal as it introduces uncertainty and \u200dmay deter some voters from participating\u200c in the election.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the issue of the Board of Elections tracking \u200bsystem not syncing with USPS tracking \u200dposes additional difficulties in monitoring the status of mailed absentee ballots. \u2063This lack of synchronization can create confusion\u2062 and \u200cfurther\u2064 erode confidence\u200b in the\u200b voting process.<\/p>\n<p>The challenges faced\u200c by Ohio student voters\u2062 in\u200c accessing mail-in ballots and overcoming voter ID requirements highlight the importance of addressing\u2063 and improving the voting system. It is crucial to ensure that all eligible\u200d voters have convenient and equitable access to participate in the \u2064democratic process. Efforts should\u2064 be made to streamline the distribution of mail-in ballots,\u200b enhance communication between college\u200b campuses and mail facilities, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nra-and-new-mexico-republicans-file-sixth-lawsuit-over-gov-grishams-gun-carry-ban\/\" title=\"NRA and NM Republicans sue Gov. Grisham over gun carry ban, again.\">explore alternative solutions<\/a> for ID verification that do not disenfranchise certain groups of voters.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 upcoming Ohio election, particularly on the topics of abortion rights and marijuana legalization, holds significant\u200b relevance for younger voters. These\u2064 issues directly impact their \u200clives and futures, making their participation in the democratic process vital. It is imperative that the\u200b state \u2063of \u200bOhio\u2064 takes swift action \u200dto rectify the challenges faced by student voters and uphold their right to \u200cengage in the democratic process\u2062 without unnecessary obstacles.\u2064 Only then can we ensure that \u200bevery\u2063 eligible \u2064Ohio voter has\u2064 the opportunity to \u200cmake their\u200c voice heard on these critical matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ohio student voters, who are set to vote on the protection of access to abortion services in the state and the legalization of marijuana Tuesday, are reporting they never received a mail-in ballot. \u201cWe&#8217;re getting a large number of complaints that are really kind of centered around younger people on college campuses that are not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2093333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2093332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2093332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2093333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2093332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2093332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2093332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}