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Court Rules State Not Required To Allow Online Absentee Ballot Requests

Ohio Public Radio

A state appeals court has ruled Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose does not have to allow people to request absentee ballots online. 

Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

A Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge had said LaRose had to allow electronic requests as the Ohio Democratic Party wanted. Party chair David Pepper says while the appeals court didn’t require LaRose to accept electronic requests, it didn’t bar him from doing that if he wants. 

 

There’s nothing in Ohio law that prohibits him from doing this. He could go ahead and do it if he wanted to.” 

 

LaRose spokesperson Maggie Sheehan says the court unanimously agreed cybersecurity concerns were “too great to abandon Ohio’s safe and accessible system this close to the election.” Pepper says he is considering an appeal. 

 

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