Secretary LaRose dismissed claims of possible fraud from mail-in and absentee ballots, noting that Ohio has “been doing absentee voting for almost 20 years” and that every voter must prove their identity multiple times in the absentee ballot request process. This, combined with the ability for voters to track their ballot, has kept the process extremely secure in Ohio and other states. Secretary Benson said that while the pandemic has been a difficult obstacle to overcome, “the biggest challenge has been partisan politics.” She also praised bipartisan cooperation among Secretaries of State across the country.
Both Secretaries spoke at length about the unique challenges of administering an election in 2020. Secretary LaRose concurred saying “Secretaries of State should wear a referee’s jersey” when administering elections but was confident in the preparations made by Secretaries of State around the country.
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