By Sarah McRitchie, UT:10 News Web Producer
Ohio’s primary election has been postponed after the polls were ordered closed by the Ohio Department of Health, in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, issued the order at 10 p.m. the night before election day.
“I make this Order to avoid the imminent threat with a high probability of widespread exposure to COVID-19 with a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of the people in the general population,” the order read.
The move comes after Governor Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose sought a court order to delay the election until a later date, which was denied by Judge Frye of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
On Tuesday, Governor DeWine said he fully supports Dr.Acton’s Order to close polling locations, as they felt it was not safe to allow in-person voting to proceed.
“Our goal is that no one will have to choose between their constitutional rights and risking their health,” DeWine said.
They felt it would be a disaster if the public and poll workers were unwittingly spreading the virus at polling locations, he said.
While DeWine did not offer specifics on the next steps forward, he added that Ohioans must have ample time to vote.
“We presented a plan we felt would preserve people’s rights, extend those rights, and set the election on June 2nd with ample time for voting to occur,” DeWine said.
There are 67 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, issued the order at 10 p.m. the night before election day.
“I make this Order to avoid the imminent threat with a high probability of widespread exposure to COVID-19 with a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of the people in the general population,” the order read.
The move comes after Governor Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose sought a court order to delay the election until a later date, which was denied by Judge Frye of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
On Tuesday, Governor DeWine said he fully supports Dr.Acton’s Order to close polling locations, as they felt it was not safe to allow in-person voting to proceed.
“Our goal is that no one will have to choose between their constitutional rights and risking their health,” DeWine said.
They felt it would be a disaster if the public and poll workers were unwittingly spreading the virus at polling locations, he said.
While DeWine did not offer specifics on the next steps forward, he added that Ohioans must have ample time to vote.
“We presented a plan we felt would preserve people’s rights, extend those rights, and set the election on June 2nd with ample time for voting to occur,” DeWine said.
There are 67 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
RSS Feed
