2020 Election

WOSU has your guide to the 2020 election in Ohio and around the country. Find stories here on the presidential contest, U.S. House races and more from WOSU and NPR.

Read our Ohio voting guide for information on how to vote and what's on your ballot.

Here’s some key spring election dates to keep in mind:

  • Primary election voter registration deadline: Feb. 18, 2020
  • Early voting begins: Feb. 19, 2020
  • Deadline to request absentee ballot: April 25, 2020
  • Deadline to postmark mail-in ballots: April 27, 2020
  • In-person voting for Ohioans with disabilities: April 28, 2020
  • Deadline for mail-in ballots to be received: May 8, 2020

Dates to know for the fall election:

  • General election voter registration deadline: Oct. 5, 2020
  • Early voting begins: Oct. 6, 2020
  • General election: Nov. 3, 2020

WOSU also wants to hear from Ohioans about what you care about in 2020. Below, tell us what issues you want candidates to talk about during this election.

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Federal Judge Refuses To Halt Ohio's Extended Primary Election

By • Apr 3, 2020
A sign is taped to a door leading into a polling location at the Messiah Lutheran Church, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Tony Dejak / Associated Press

A federal judge on Friday refused to halt the new primary election process unanimously approved by the Ohio General Assembly.

Coronavirus Hurts Minimum Wage Ballot Effort

By & • Apr 2, 2020
Petition collection clipboard
Karen Kasler / Ohio Public Radio

In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown discuss how the state is handling the coronavirus pandemic, and why the backers of a $13 minimum wage ballot initiative are suing to ease state law requirements. James Hayes of the group Raise The Wage Ohio joins the show.

Democratic National Convention Pushed Back A Month, And The Format May Change

By • Apr 2, 2020

Updated at 1:08 p.m. ET

The coronavirus has delayed another big event. This time it's the Democratic National Convention.

Amid ongoing questions about when traditional presidential campaigning — and the travel and large crowds it entails — will be able to resume, the Democratic National Committee has delayed its nominating convention until the week of Aug. 17. It had been scheduled for the week of July 13.

The event in Milwaukee is now scheduled for the week before the Republican National Convention, which is set to be held in Charlotte, N.C.

His Signature Rallies Are Off, So Here's How Trump's Campaign Has Moved Online

By • Apr 2, 2020

It has been only a month since President Trump held his last campaign rally. It was March 2 when several thousand people squeezed into a North Carolina arena to cheer on a confident president seeking reelection at a time of peace and prosperity.

Trump touted the record low unemployment rate to rousing applause, repeating the theme of his 2020 campaign.

"Jobs are booming in our country, incomes are soaring, poverty has plummeted, confidence is surging," said the president.

Campaign From Home: How Candidates Are Adjusting To Ohio's Absentee Primary

By • Apr 1, 2020
Rep. Joyce Beatty and Congressional candidate Morgan Harper.
Associated Press

Boards of elections around Ohio are stuffing envelopes with ballot requests and ballots to be delivered to mailboxes all over the state. The absentee voting process isn’t new, but Ohio's new circumstances are putting fresh scrutiny on the multi-step process.

As Ohio Stays Home, Minimum Wage Ballot Organizers Sue To Extend Signature Deadline

By • Mar 31, 2020
voting booths
John Minchillo / Associated Press

Organizers trying to put a minimum wage measure on November’s statewide ballot are hoping a Franklin County judge will grant an extension on the July 1 deadline for gathering signatures, amid a statewide stay-at-home order.

Vote By Mail: How Ohio's Absentee-Only Election Will Work

By • Mar 31, 2020
A bowl of stickers for those taking advantage of early voting, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Steubenville, Ohio.
Gene Puskar / Associated Press

Ohio’s primary election is back on after Gov. Mike DeWine signed a sweeping package of coronavirus-related legislation. The new “election day” is April 28, but don’t plan on visiting your polling place—for the vast majority of Ohioans, the remainder of the election will be carried out through the mail.

Voting Rights Groups Challenge Ohio's Postponed Primary System

By & • Mar 30, 2020
A sign is taped to a door leading into a polling location at the Messiah Lutheran Church, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Tony Dejak / Associated Press

A new lawsuit filed by four voting rights groups seeks to make it easier to cast a ballot during Ohio's delayed primary election.

Facing Likely Defeat, Bernie Sanders' Campaign Found A New Cause

By • Mar 29, 2020

After Bernie Sanders suffered three straight weeks of big losses across the country, the Vermont senator returned home to "assess his campaign."

Ohio Democratic Party Drops Primary Election Postponement Lawsuit

By • Mar 27, 2020
A sign is taped to a door leading into a polling location at the Messiah Lutheran Church, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Tony Dejak / Associated Press

The Ohio Democratic Party has dropped its lawsuit over the postponed primary Election Day, which was called off due to the coronavirus.

Voting During A Pandemic

By All Sides Staff • Mar 27, 2020
A sign was set out to greet would-be voters at a polling place in Powell in Delaware County, telling them there would be no in-person voting on the March 17, 2020 the schedule date of the Ohio primary.
Jo Ingles / Ohio Public Radio

The Ohio primary was delayed at the last minute due to the coronavirus. Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Gov. Mike DeWine wanted in person voting to be moved to June 2 and to have absentee voting available until then.

Lawmakers Defy DeWine With Absentee Ballot Deadline

By & • Mar 26, 2020
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine gives an update at MetroHealth Medical Center on the state's preparedness and education efforts to limit the potential spread of a new virus which caused a disease called COVID-19, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in Cleveland.
Tony Dejak / AP

In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown discuss how Ohio's primary election will continue after the last-minute closing of polls. Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, joins the show.

Poll: Ohioans Approve Of DeWine, Trump's Coronavirus Response

By • Mar 26, 2020

A new poll found Ohioans approve of Gov. Mike DeWine’s response to the coronavirus pandemic so far.

Administered by Baldwin Wallace University, the poll looked at attitudes of registered voters ahead of the 2020 election in four Midwestern states: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Researchers originally aimed to assess attitudes on racism, sexism and environmentalism, said Baldwin Wallace Community Research Institute Assistant Director Lauren Copeland, but pivoted to focus on the coronavirus at the last minute.

Lawmakers Extend Primary Absentee Voting, But Not Date Of Primary

By • Mar 25, 2020

The bill that made some changes across state law related to coronavirus also set a new ending for the Ohio primary, after polling places were shut down just hours before election day.

Coronavirus In Ohio: Legislature Passes Relief Bill With Election Extension

By • Mar 25, 2020
Gov. Mike DeWine, center, speaks between Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof, left, and Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder during the Ohio State of the State address at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, March 5, 2019.
Paul Vernon / Associated Press

In an overwhelming show of bipartisan unity, the Ohio Senate on Wednesday morning unanimously passed a bill making a lot of changes in state law. The Ohio House then joined in a few hours later, approving the bill 91-0, though legislators stress the changes are only temporary. 

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