{"id":2524064,"date":"2025-12-22T17:23:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T22:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-enacts-law-requiring-all-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T17:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T22:25:55","slug":"ohio-enacts-law-requiring-all-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-enacts-law-requiring-all-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio Enacts Law Requiring All Ballots Be Returned By Election Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><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-enacts-law-requiring-all-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day%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=2524064&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--><p>Governor Mike DeWine signed SB 293, a law that requires all Ohio mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on Election Day, eliminating the previous four<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-rejects-pennsylvania-gop-election-appeal\/\" title=\"... Rejects Pennsylvania GOP ... Appeal\">-day grace period<\/a>. The measure also <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >mandates monthly citizenship verification<\/a> of registered voters and directs local boards to instantly cancel registrations flagged as possible noncitizens while investigating their status. Republican supporters, including bill co-sponsor Sen. theresa Gavarone, framed the change as necessary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">protect election integrity<\/a>, while DeWine said he reluctantly signed the bill to avoid legal and administrative confusion tied to a similar case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Election-integrity groups praised the law as a commonsense reform that will speed results and boost public confidence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Upper_Arlington,_Ohio_(32210485824).jpg\">dankeck\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/deed.en\">CC0 1.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/22\/ohio-enacts-commonsense-law-requiring-all-mail-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Ohio%20Enacts%20%E2%80%98Commonsense%E2%80%99%20Law%20Requiring%20All%20Mail%20Ballots%20Be%20Returned%20By%20Election%20Day&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/22\/ohio-enacts-commonsense-law-requiring-all-mail-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Ohio%20Enacts%20%E2%80%98Commonsense%E2%80%99%20Law%20Requiring%20All%20Mail%20Ballots%20Be%20Returned%20By%20Election%20Day&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/22\/ohio-enacts-commonsense-law-requiring-all-mail-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/22\/ohio-enacts-commonsense-law-requiring-all-mail-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Ohio%20Enacts%20%E2%80%98Commonsense%E2%80%99%20Law%20Requiring%20All%20Mail%20Ballots%20Be%20Returned%20By%20Election%20Day&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/22\/ohio-enacts-commonsense-law-requiring-all-mail-ballots-be-returned-by-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In a major win for the integrity of Ohio&rsquo;s elections, Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation on Friday that requires all mail-in ballots to be received by the end of Election Day. <\/p>\n<p>As described by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wowktv.com\/news\/ohio\/ohio-governor-signs-bill-eliminating-absentee-ballot-grace-period\/amp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local media<\/a>, SB 293 officially &ldquo;eliminates the current four-day buffer for boards of elections to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-adopts-election-reform-bill-that-stops-some-voters-from-automatically-receiving-absentee-ballots\/\" title=\"Arizona Adopts ... Reform ... That Stops Some Voters From Automatically Receiving Absentee ...\">receive absentee ballots<\/a>, now requiring all ballots to be delivered by hand or mail by the time the polls close on Election Day.&rdquo; Including provisions from a separate bill, the measure also requires the Ohio secretary of state to verify all registered voters&rsquo; citizenship every month and directs local election boards to cancel the registration of &ldquo;anyone flagged as a possible noncitizen immediately, then conduct further investigations regarding their citizenship status.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1002015561\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Election day is election day for a reason,&rdquo; bill co-sponsor and Republican state Sen. Theresa Gavarone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wowktv.com\/news\/ohio\/ohio-governor-signs-bill-eliminating-absentee-ballot-grace-period\/amp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. &ldquo;Allowing ballots to be delivered days after the election does nothing but hurt the integrity and credibility of our elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During a Friday press conference, DeWine &mdash; who&rsquo;s previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statenews.org\/government-politics\/2025-12-20\/dewine-reluctantly-signs-bill-cutting-grace-period-for-mailed-absentee-ballots-in-ohio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voiced reservations<\/a> about changing Ohio&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usaid-helped-dems-steal-2020-election-by-funding-wuhan-lab-that-created-covid-the-ultimate-excuse-for-illegal-election-tampering\/\" title=\"USAID Helped Dems Steal 2020 ... by Funding Wuhan Lab That Created COVID, the Ultimate Excuse for Illegal ... Tampering\">election laws &#038;mdash<\/a>; expressed opposition to the new law. He said that he &ldquo;normally would veto&rdquo; a bill like SB 293 and &ldquo;wish[es] [he]  could,&rdquo; but cited ongoing litigation over a Mississippi law with a similar grace period for accepting ballots after Election Day as the reason for his decision to sign the measure into law. <\/p>\n<p>The Mississippi law in question &mdash; which was <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/ca5\/24-60395\/24-60395-2024-10-25.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found<\/a> to be unlawful by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals &mdash; is <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/11\/11\/scotus-to-decide-whether-states-can-accept-mail-ballots-received-after-election-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">currently before<\/a> the U.S. Supreme Court. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If the court in late June upholds the Fifth Circuit case and Ohio&rsquo;s grace period for counting ballots is still in effect, the election situation in Ohio would be chaotic,&rdquo; DeWine said. &ldquo;He added if Ohio&rsquo;s grace period were struck down that would require counting ballots differently depending on whether candidates are running for federal or state offices,&rdquo; Statehouse News Bureau <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statenews.org\/government-politics\/2025-12-20\/dewine-reluctantly-signs-bill-cutting-grace-period-for-mailed-absentee-ballots-in-ohio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It certainly would confuse voters in state elections. Their absentee ballot could come in within the four days after the election and be counted,&rdquo; DeWine said. &ldquo;There simply would not be enough time for the legislature to pass a law to conform to the Supreme Court decision and federal law. Therefore, I reluctantly signed this bill.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Election integrity activists were quick to applaud the governor&rsquo;s decision to sign SB 293 into law. <\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Honest Elections Project Action Executive Director Jason Snead congratulated the Buckeye State&rsquo;s leading officials on &ldquo;once again improving Ohio elections&rdquo; and said the bill&rsquo;s provisions &ldquo;are popular, commonsense measures that will speed up results, secure elections, and continue to build trust in the democratic process.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Once again, Ohio is acting to keep it easy to vote and hard to cheat in the Buckeye State,&rdquo; Snead said. <\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-day\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Election Day<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/honest-elections-project-action\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Honest Elections Project Action<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-ballot-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail in ballot<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mail-in-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">mail-in voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mike-dewine\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Mike DeWine<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ohio<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/proof-of-citizenship\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">proof of citizenship<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/theresa-gavarone\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Theresa Gavarone<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ohio requires mail ballots to arrive by Election Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2524065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mail-box.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[32692,33739,4333,69257,32570],"class_list":["post-2524064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-absentee-ballots","tag-election-law","tag-ohio","tag-voting-deadline","tag-voting-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Mail-box.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524064","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2524064"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2524068,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524064\/revisions\/2524068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2524065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2524064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2524064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2524064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}