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
Limited in-person voting: 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.

With Fall Approaching Fast, Ohio Advocates Push For Urgent Election Reforms

By Jo Ingles • May 27, 2020

Security outside of the Franklin County Board of Elections on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. — Ryan Hitchcock / WOSU

Ohio's spring election saw the shuttering of polling places and the extension of absentee voting as COVID-19 spread throughout the state. To avoid confusion before the November election, voting rights groups are asking lawmakers to change voting laws now, but the two groups aren't necessarily on the same page when it comes to making reforms.

Sen. Sherrod Brown Sponsors Bill To Expand Voting Options During Pandemic

By Kabir Bhatia • May 26, 2020

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, comments on the final statement of House Democratic impeachment manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Jan. 24, 2020. — Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is co-sponsoring a bill to provide federal funding for this November’s election amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pandemic Puts A Crimp On Voter Registration, Potentially Altering Electorate

By Pam Fessler • May 26, 2020

No door-to-door canvassing. Public gatherings are canceled. Motor vehicle offices are closed. Naturalization ceremonies are on hiatus.

Almost every place where Americans usually register to vote has been out of reach since March and it's led to a big drop in new registrations right before a presidential election that was expected to see record turnout.

Trump And Biden Wage An Uneven Virtual Campaign

By Asma Khalid & Tamara Keith • May 21, 2020

If you're a supporter of President Trump, longing for the excitement and MAGA-kinship of a big rally, Trump's campaign has built the next best thing. It's a massive digital operation that creates an interactive world where Trump is flawless and Republicans are saviors, while Democrats and Joe Biden are wrong and dangerous.

They encourage supporters to "forget the mainstream media" and get their "facts straight from the source," an insular information ecosystem featuring prime time programming, accessed in its most pure form through the new Trump 2020 app.

Ohio Ballot Issue Organizers Can Collect Signatures Electronically During Pandemic

By Jo Ingles • May 20, 2020

Rebecca Roth reviews applications for election ballots at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Cleveland. — Tony Dejak / Associated Press

A federal court ruled Tuesday that an Ohio group will have more time to collect petition signatures to put a voter rights amendment on the November ballot. The groups will also be permitted to collect those signatures electronically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump Repeats Unfounded Claims About Mail-In Voting, Threatens Funding To 2 States

By Brett Neely • May 20, 2020

Updated at 6:38 p.m. ET

President Trump on Wednesday escalated his rhetorical campaign against an expansion of mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic by threatening federal funding to two states with Democratic governors.

Trump appeared to be set off by an announcement Tuesday from Michigan's Democratic secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, who said her office will mail an absentee ballot application to every voter in the state for August and November elections.

Biden Says Voters Who Believe Tara Reade 'Probably Shouldn't Vote For Me'

By Elena Moore • May 15, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden again denied the sexual assault allegation made against him by former Senate staffer Tara Reade in an interview on MSNBC Thursday night, but added that voters who stand by Reade should not support him.

"If they believe Tara Reade, they probably shouldn't vote for me," Biden said when asked what message he would give to female voters who accept Reade's allegation as true, but were planning on supporting him.

"I wouldn't vote for me if I believed Tara Reade," Biden added.

'It's Partly On Me': GOP Official Says Fraud Warnings Hamper Vote-By-Mail Push

By Pam Fessler • May 15, 2020

Republican state officials who want to expand absentee and mail-in voting during the pandemic have found themselves in an uncomfortable position due to their party's rhetoric.

President Trump has claimed repeatedly, without providing evidence, that mail-in voting is ripe for fraud and bad for the GOP. He and other Republicans have charged that Democrats might use it to "steal" the election.

Biden And Sanders Announce Task Forces To Find Party Unity Over Policy

By Barbara Sprunt • May 13, 2020

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his chief primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced on Wednesday the members of a joint task force meant to unify the party ahead of November's general election, bringing together figures from different wings of the party, ranging from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to former Secretary of State John Kerry.

Democrats Developing Contingency Plans For Remote Convention

By Asma Khalid • May 11, 2020

The Democratic National Committee is taking steps to prepare for a possible remote convention this summer, with a resolution being introduced to allow for changes to official proceedings given public health concerns.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, convention planners are exploring a range of contingencies for the August event in Milwaukee where Joe Biden is expected to be officially nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate for president.

Ohio Secretary Of State: Voters Should Be Able To Request Absentee Ballots Online

By Karen Kasler • May 6, 2020

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, right, overseeing the Election Night Reporting Center in Columbus, Ohio, watches early returns in the Ohio primary election from the Election Night Command Center, Tuesday, April 28, 2020. — Gene Puskar / Associated Press

Ohio’s Secretary of State says an election day with in-person voting is still the plan for this fall, but he’s suggesting some changes in case concerns about coronavirus keep voters away.

Commentary: Could Ohio Be Up For Grabs This Presidential Election?

By Howard Wilkinson • May 6, 2020

Four years ago, Donald Trump won Ohio by eight percentage points, which caught the tribe of political pundits by surprise, along with the political professional class.

Can he do it again?

Editor's note: This story contains graphic descriptions of an alleged sexual assault.

More than a month after being publicly accused of sexual assault by a former Senate staffer in the 1990s, former Vice President Joe Biden says the allegations "aren't true. This never happened."