Perrysburg, OH – Today marks the first day that Ohio voters can cast their ballots for the November election, but early reports indicate that some Lucas County voters aren’t receiving the proper ballot.
According to Kurt Young, General Counsel and Ohio Democratic Party Observer for Early Voting, around 8:30 Tuesday morning a voter in Maumee, which was recently redistricted into the Fifth Congressional District, was given a ballot that included Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who is running for the Ninth Congressional District.
The Maumee voter’s ballot also included the Toledo Public School Levy. Neither Congresswoman Kaptur nor the TPS Levy should have appeared on the Maumee ballot.
After receiving notification, the Zimmann campaign quickly responded, joining voter protection groups and the Ohio Democratic Party to alert Dan DeAngelis, Deputy Director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, of the improper ballot.
Zimmann’s campaign manager, Dan Lipner, urged the importance of the Board of Elections to ensure that voters are receiving the proper ballot.
“We have the responsibility of making sure that our elections are fair and that Ohio’s voters can cast their votes with confidence knowing that they are being given the correct ballot,” Lipner said.
Although this is the only confirmed case of an improper ballot being issued, which was likely caused by employee error, the Ohio Democratic Party and Zimmann’s campaign are monitoring other polling locations to ensure correct ballot distribution.
Due to Ohio’s most recent redistricting, many voters have expressed confusion and frustration in determining their respective districts, including Ohio’s newly competitive Fifth U.S. Congressional District.
