An official website of the Cuyahoga County government. Here’s how you know
skip-link
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
.png?sfvrsn=898e93f3_19&Width=320&Height=80&ScaleUp=false&Quality=High&Method=CropCropArguments&Signature=93A64BF97A03C847A74EF5E7044451C0DE7C6449 "BOE_LOGO")
2020 Media and Press Releases
Further links to past Press Releases can be found by selecting the year links below.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to Establish Temporary Vote-By-Mail Ballot Collection Sites Throughout the County for the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election
The Board of Elections has created a Temporary Vote-by-Mail Ballot Collection Plan. Beginning on October 13, 2020, voters will be able to return their voted ballots and submit Vote-by-Mail ballot applications without making the trip to the Board’s Building near downtown Cleveland safely and securely.
Politically balanced teams will be located at six libraries located throughout Cuyahoga County. This will allow voters to drop off their Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Vote-by-Mail ballot applications closer to their homes. This will also ease traffic congestion that is anticipated when thousands of voters begin to visit the Board to Vote Early In-Person while others are dropping off voted ballots.
“The behavior of voters has drastically changed due to health concerns surrounding the current pandemic,” said Anthony Perlatti, Director of the Board of Elections. The number of ballot requests have already exceeded the total number ballots cast by mail during the last Presidential General Election. “This tells us that people do not want to travel, and people are avoiding crowded places,” said Perlatti.
The Board adopted the Temporary Vote-by-Mail Ballot Collection Plan in a unanimous decision today. “Creating a plan executed by bipartisan teams of employees that ensures the integrity of the voting process further builds voter confidence”, said Board Chairman Jeff Hastings. “For years the BOE staff has collected voted ballots from residential living facilities in a safe and secure manner and this plan builds on those experiences”, said Hastings. “This is a commonsense solution that will protect public health,” said Board Member David Wondolowski. Another factor in making the decision was the concern about the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) ability to promptly deliver ballots. “The program will help take the pressure off of the USPS which will be responsible for delivering hundreds of thousands of ballots prior to the deadline,” said Wondolowski.
The Board already goes out in the field to collect ballots on a temporary basis. Under normal circumstances politically balanced teams visit nursing homes and other facilities to provide voter assistance and return their voted ballots.