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Vendor Blames Higher Than Expected Demand For Delayed Mail-In Ballots

WCBE 90.5FM | By Ohio Public Radio
Published October 16, 2020 at 6:25 PM EDT
Ohio Public Radio

A direct mail company hired to print and distribute absentee ballots to Ohioans who requested them has not been able to get them to voters as fast as was promised. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

Midwest Direct was hired by 20 Ohio counties to print and distribute ballots, but tens of thousands have not yet been sent out.

A written statement by the company’s CEO, Richard T. Gebbie, said Midwest Direct did not anticipate the demand for mail in ballots but has brought in extra equipment and staff and adds they are working 16-hour days to meet the backlog. And the statement says the company is working with Ohio’s Secretary of State to process the ballots quickly. 

The New York Times notes Midwest Direct’s owners support President Trump, but there’s no evidence the company did anything wrong.  
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WCBE News absentee ballotAbsentee BallotsAbsentee votingMail-In Ballot2020 General ElectionMail-in VotingMidwest Directdelayed ballots
Ohio Public Radio
The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
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