Coronavirus: Poll volunteers show up amid confusion over the Ohio Primary

The Ohio Secretary of State has directed the 88 county boards of elections on the precautions needed to take to prevent the spread of flu and viruses, including the coronavirus. Voting equipment will be regularly wiped with disinfecting cloths and hand sanitizer bottles will be available during in-office early voting and Election Day voting. Voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to their home. NICK GRAHAM/FILE

The Ohio Secretary of State has directed the 88 county boards of elections on the precautions needed to take to prevent the spread of flu and viruses, including the coronavirus. Voting equipment will be regularly wiped with disinfecting cloths and hand sanitizer bottles will be available during in-office early voting and Election Day voting. Voters can also request absentee ballots to be mailed to their home. NICK GRAHAM/FILE

After back-and-forth on Monday on whether the Ohio Primary would happen today, several volunteers showed up this morning to work the polls.

>> Coronavirus: Health director orders polls closed for primary election, citing emergency

“Just a bunch of confusion,” said UD student Jada Brown, who was planning to volunteer at Montgomery County Board of Elections Tuesday morning. “The polls were ordered closed, then it got rejected. A lot of people were saying it would be open so I thought I would show up to see.  They weren’t.”

>> Coronavirus Pandemic: What you need to know Tuesday

On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine recommended postponing the Ohio Primary until June 2, but a judge denied doing so, which meant the primary was back on. Late Monday, State Health Director Dr. Amy Acton issued an order closing polling places as a health emergency “to avoid imminent threat with the high probability of widespread exposure to COVID-19 ...”

Brown said she would have appreciated a text, e-mail or phone call letting her know she didn’t need to volunteer today.

“I understand it,” she said. “This has literally never happened before. So it’s understandable that proper communication wasn’t done.”

DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose are working with the courts to extend voting options.

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