Increase in Voting by Mail in Ohio Produces Increase in Mistakes (or, People Are Idiots)

Evidence suggests the public is too dumb to vote by mail.
  • Evidence suggests the public is too dumb to vote by mail.

Voting by mail seems like an easy enough task: Fill out a ballot correctly, place said ballot in an envelope, and then put it in the mail.

We are, however, dealing with people, and when you're dealing with people, bad things happen. People are idiots.

Take the process above. How many different steps can the normal person screw up? They could fill out the ballot incorrectly. They could forget to put a stamp on the envelope. They could forget to sign the ballot. There are literally endless opportunities for the public's general incompetence to come shining through. Usually, the public only needs one, but it's good to have options.

These gaffes and many more are plaguing Ohio as voting by mail becomes more popular. According to the AP, people even forget to include the ballot in the envelope when mailing it. Seriously. It's any wonder people can walk from their front door to their mailbox without getting lost.


Elections officials in major Ohio counties say a surge in people voting by mail has been accompanied by a rise in ballot errors that cost time and money.

More than 6,000 voters in the county that includes Cleveland made mistakes with mail-in ballots for the May primary. Some left off necessary signatures or information, while nearly 100 even forgot to include their ballot in the envelope.

Cuyahoga County elections workers try to fix errors so votes can be counted, and the process can be costly. Officials are already urging that mail-in ballot instructions be followed carefully for the November election.

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Vince Grzegorek

Vince Grzegorek has been with Scene since 2007 and editor-in-chief since 2012. He previously worked at Discount Drug Mart and Texas Roadhouse.
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