Remember the Florida "hanging chad?" Ohio could be next
COLUMBUS -- Voting results could be delayed in Ohio because of a new program intended to make voting easier. The delay could keep the presidential election results on hold until late November if the decision comes down to Ohio's 18 electoral votes.
Under Secretary of State Jon Husted's initiative to send absentee ballot applications to nearly 7 million registered voters across the state, more than 800,000 voters so far have requested the ballots for the November 6 election.
The potential problem is when someone requests an absentee ballot but then decides to vote at the polls, they will have to cast a provisional ballot. Officials will then have to verify that the person only voted once, either at the polls or absentee.
State law states that provisional ballots may not be counted until at least November 17. This means that if the elections does in fact come down to Ohio's electoral votes, the nation could be kept waiting for weeks after the election to find if President Obama or Mitt Romney won.
Amy Searcy, Director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections told Cincinnati Enquirer Reporter Barry Horstman, "That would be called my nightmare scenario."
With all the ways you can vote now, is voting at the polls a thing of the past?
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