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Don’t plan on voting today.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced late Monday that Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is closing the polls as a statewide health emergency.
That declaration came after hours of uncertainty and scrambling among the DeWine administration, a Franklin County judge and local elections officials.
DeWine said: “During this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis, to conduct an election tomorrow would would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at a unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus. As such, Health Director Dr. Amy Acton will order the polls closed as a health emergency. While the polls will be closed tomorrow, Secretary of State Frank LaRose will seek a remedy through the courts to extend voting options so that every voter who wants to vote will be granted that opportunity.”
DeWine fought to delay today’s Ohio primary election as a safety precaution as COVID-19, novel coronavirus, is said to threaten people who gather in large numbers.
It appeared at first that he would not succeed when a Franklin County judge earlier Monday night denied the state’s attempt to postpone Election Day until June 2. Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Frye said it would be a “terrible precedent” for a judge to step in 12 hours before polls open to rewrite the election code.
So the judge rejected the request — throwing elections workers across Ohio into confusion.
Read MORE in Tuesday’s VINDICATOR and on vindy.com