COLUMBUS — Late on May 19, a federal judge granted the Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections campaign relief in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing for electronic signatures and a deadline extension until July 31. 

The following is a statement from Toni Webb, Campaign Manager for Ohioans for Secure and Fair Elections: 

“The court made the correct decision in recognizing that, in these unique and extreme circumstances, adjustments to ballot access requirements must be made, both to protect public health and our democracy. It is disappointing, however, that the court did not fully recognize the difficulty of meeting the numerical signature requirement in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the significant signature requirement that remains, we must consider our path forward. But one thing remains clear: many states have passed common sense, bipartisan reform measures to make their elections more efficient, and it’s high time for Ohio to do the same. Our mission is the same: modernizing our voting and registration laws with popular, commonsense changes to help make our elections more secure and accessible, so all eligible Ohioans have their voices heard and their vote protected.”

The order is available.