Ohio governor signs bill eliminating grace period for late ballots

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said his hand was forced, given the uncertain outcome of a Mississippi case the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide next summer.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of states that will accept late-arriving mail-in ballots during next year’s critical midterm elections continues to dwindle, as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine “reluctantly” signed new restrictions into law Friday, citing the uncertainty of pending litigation to ban the counting of such ballots in his state.

President Donald Trump has also moved to eliminate the practice nationally.

DeWine, a term-limited Republican, had warned Ohio’s GOP-led Legislature in 2023 that a sweeping package of election law changes he signed that year would likely be the last voting restrictions he would let past his veto pen. Election integrity in the state, he said, had been amply assured.

But, despite having reservations, DeWine on Friday signed legislation eliminating Ohio’s four-day grace period for absentee ballots and making other voting changes.

“I believe that this four-day grace period is reasonable, and I think for many reasons it makes a lot of sense,” he told reporters. “Therefore, I normally would veto a repeal of this four-day grace period. And, frankly, that’s what I wish I could do.”