Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief
CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM, CLEVELAND, Ohio- Officials from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland are predicting at least a 15 percent decrease in voter turnout in the county for this year's primary in Ohio in response to the coronavirus outbreak as Ohio's no-voting-at-the-polls deadline is tomorrow, April 28, a rescheduled mail-in ballot election overwhelmingly sanctioned by state legislators in a bipartisan fashion, and authorized under a new state law, House Bill 197.
There is no question that low voter turnout hurts the Black vote, and the Democratic vote.
The 29 percent Black county has a population of some 1.2 million people and includes Cleveland, a largely Black major American city led by four-term Black Democratic mayor Frank Jackson.
It is a Democratic stronghold.
"Ordinarily we expect a 40 percent voter turnout in Cuyahoga County and now it is at about 25 percent," said county board of elections communications outreach manager Mike West, who added that there are some 850,000 registered voters in Cuyahoga County, Ohio's second largest of 88 counties.
West said that there is no argument that voters prefer access to the polls, and that the lack of such access has affected this year's primary vote in the state's second largest county.
"Obviously turnout is a little lower because people like to go out on election day," said West.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by April 27 or dropped of in person to the board of elections by 7:30 pm on April 28 to be counted and the exceptions to the mail-in-only provision of HB 197 are disabled registered voters like the legally blind who can vote in person at the board of elections as late as April 28, and those completing provisional ballots for reasons such as identification issues and the failure to update a residential address.
Provisional ballots can be delivered to the board of elections, also as late as April 28, West told Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlienenewsblog.com.
"We have people from the board of elections with ballot drop-in boxes outside of the building for voters with mail-in- drop off ballots and provisional ballots to deliver their ballots as late as tomorrow" said West, a 12-year veteran with the county board of elections.
Among those registered in Cuyahoga County are roughly 225,000 Democratic voters, 100,000 Republicans, and 500,000 non-party or Independent voters.
Gov Mike DeWine, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, shutdown Ohio' s polls and thus its originally scheduled March 17 primary, an administration action among others relative to the pandemic, including the governor's March 22 stay-at-home-order, which will be lifted in phases beginning on May 1 as he reopens Ohio.
Neither Republican President Donald Trump nor presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden face any significant primary opposition, Ohio a pivotal state that Trump won over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In addition to the presidential primary and ballot issues, also on the ballot for Cuyahoga County voters to decide, among other issues and races, are congressional and state legislative seats up for grabs, common pleas and state appeals court and Ohio Supreme Court races, seats open on county council, and state central committee seats.
Democratic County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley, who ousted fellow Democrat Tim McGinty in 2016 amid controversy, faces no opposition
There are currently some 3 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide and more than 208,000 deaths, the U.S. accounting for some 880, 204 cases and 55,000 deaths.
Ohio has some 15, 587 confirmed cases and 91 deaths, 1902 of those cases out of Cuyahoga County and has reported 91 deaths, Cleveland accounting for 18 deaths.
Some 26 million Americans are out of work in response to the global crisis that has crippled the nation.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
