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Politics Chat: Is Ohio Headed For Its First All-Absentee Election?

John Minchillo
/
AP

In an unprecedented move, the director of the Ohio Department of Health ordered late Monday night that the state's 3,658 polling places not be opened Tuesday morning for Ohio's primary election. Now, with an active case before the Ohio Supreme Court and legislative action likely next week, the question becomes whether or not the polling places ever open and Ohio holds its first-ever all-absentee primary election.

WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson believes that is exactly what will happen. He told News Director Maryanne Zeleznik Friday morning, either through a court order or legislation, the Ohio primary will wrap up - probably in late April - with no more in-person voting. It's likely that those who did not vote absentee by Tuesday will receive applications for absentee ballots in the mail. It is important, Wilkinson says, that winning candidates be declared in contested primaries so they can get on with the business of running a general election campaign.

Copyright 2021 91.7 WVXU. To see more, visit 91.7 WVXU.

Howard Wilkinson joined the WVXU News Team after 30 years of covering local and state politics for The Cincinnati Enquirer. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Wilkinson has covered every Ohio governor’s race since 1974 as well as 12 presidential nominating conventions. His streak continued by covering both the 2012 Republican and Democratic conventions for 91.7 WVXU. Along with politics, Wilkinson also covered the 2001 Cincinnati race riots; the Lucasville Prison riot in 1993; the Air Canada plane crash at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 1983; and the 1997 Ohio River flooding. The Cincinnati Reds are his passion. "I've been listening to WVXU and public radio for many years, and I couldn't be more pleased at the opportunity to be part of it,” he says.