x
Breaking News
More () »

Board of Elections explains 'fatal flaws' and 'voter intent' issues on absentee ballots

Election officials say many common mistakes can be avoided if voters take their time to fill out ballots completely and correctly.

Mail-in and absentee voting have become big issues this election season as the coronavirus pandemic has many people leery of venturing out to their polling place.

That, along with turmoil at the U.S. Postal Service, has led some people to worry about the process by which mail-in and absentee votes are counted.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Boards of Elections (BOE) around the state have been assuring the public that the election will be fair and all legitimate votes will be counted.

RELATED: Nearly 50,000 Franklin County voters received wrong absentee ballots

That being said, sometimes voters make mistakes that make it difficult for Boards of Elections to determine the identity or intent of the voter.

Absentee ballots have been used for years and election officials say there are a number of things you should be careful of to make sure you are filling out yours correctly.

First of all, take your time.

According to the Fulton County Board of Elections, oftentimes voters forget to sign their ballots or a signature doesn't match what's on file at the BOE.

Voters will also sometimes forget to write down the last four digits of their social security number or date of birth.

Mistakes like that are considered fatal flaws because the Board of Elections are unable to verify who a voter is.

RELATED: Ohio accessible voting guide: What you need to know

There are also oftentimes questions of voter intent, when the BOE is unable to determine what a voter meant while filling out a ballot.

For instance, when a person places a checkmark next to a candidate's name instead of filling in the bubble.

In that instance, there will be a vote between four board members who will debate whether that voter intended to cast a vote for that issue or candidate, or not.

There needs to be a majority that say yes in order for that vote to count.

RELATED: Ohio begins mailing millions of absentee ballots as early voting begins: The important steps you must take to make sure your vote counts

As a last resort, if there's a mistake in the absentee ballot process, the Board of Elections will send a letter to the voter detailing the mistake and how to fix it.

So long as a person responds to the letter, a new ballot will be mailed out.

You can also track your ballot on the Ohio Secretary of State website.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State website, all Ohio voters whose registration information is up-to-date have the opportunity to vote in any election by requesting an absentee ballot. 

RELATED VIDEO:

Before You Leave, Check This Out