COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced late Friday that the U.S. Department of Defense declined a waiver that would delay sending out ballots to overseas troops ahead of the May 3 primary. 

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Department of Defense rejected Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s request to delay sending out ballots to military and their families overseas

  • U.S. law requires states to send ballots to overseas military and their families 45 days before federal elections

  • Ohio lawmakers have rejected calls to delay the May 3 primary despite multiple legal challenges involving redistricting

  • LaRose has told county boards of election to move forward with preparing for the May 3 primary with the maps currently approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission despite pending legal challenges

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act requires states to issue ballots for overseas service members and their families 45 days ahead of federal elections. The May 3 primary includes U.S. House and Senate races. 

Implementing new U.S. House boundaries in Ohio, besides those pertaining to Ohio House and Senate seats, has been delayed. The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled previous maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission unconstitutional. In a party-line vote on Wednesday, the seven-member commission approved new U.S. House boundaries for Ohio. The map immediately faced legal challenges. 

The Ohio Redistricting Commission approved new maps for General Assembly seats last month after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected two previous maps. The Ohio Supreme Court has yet to decide on the newest General Assembly boundaries. 

So far, Ohio lawmakers have rejected calls to delay the state’s primary. LaRose has told county boards of elections to prepare for the primary to be held as scheduled on May 3. 

“The legislature has made it clear that the primary election will take place on May 3rd, so I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure our military men and women can make their voices heard,” LaRose said in a statement Friday.

LaRose contends that between a delay with the release of 2020 census data and the legal battles involving redistricting, holding a May 3 primary remains a challenge. 

“While accomplishing this will be difficult, I am confident that our tested, professional county boards will do everything within their power to execute on what we have all been instructed to do,” LaRose said.

Overseas ballots make up a fraction of the total votes cast in elections. In the last comparable primary in 2018, 1.67 million ballots were submitted. Of those, just 1,074 came from overseas.

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