CINCINNATI — A new promotional advertisement highlighting mail-in ballots is on the airwaves across Ohio.
The ad, paid for by the American Postal Workers Union, advocates for mail-in ballot access. It specifically highlights the need among working families, nurses, the military and farmers.
“Vote by mail is not a new thing. It’s been going on since the Civil War," Don Hoffrogge, president of the American Postal Workers Union Greater Cincinnati 164, said.
Hoffrogge brought together the Ohio League of Women Voters and labor union leaders for a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
WATCH: Why local advocates came together to push for mail-in voting
Advocates spoke about the importance of voting access for people whose jobs or schedules don't allow them the time to vote in-person. Hoffrogge said in the 2024 election, one in three people voted by mail.
Brian Griffin, the executive secretary/treasurer for the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, was one of the leaders at the press conference.
“The vast majority of working people do not control their time. They live by schedules set by someone else," Griffin said.
On March 31, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections."
A White House spokesperson sent us this information the day after Trump signed the executive order:
- The order directs the secretary of homeland security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration, to compile and transmit to each state a state citizenship list of confirmed U.S. citizens who will be 18 or older at the time of the next upcoming federal election and reside in that state.
- The order directs the postmaster general to initiate rulemaking to require all mail-in and absentee ballots transmitted by USPS to be placed in secure ballot envelopes marked as "Official Election Mail" with unique intelligent mail barcodes that facilitate tracking.
- The order requires the USPS to transmit ballots only to individuals enrolled on a state-specific mail-in and absentee participation list, ensuring that only eligible absentee or mail-in voters receive absentee or mail-in ballots.
But the president's executive order is already facing legal challenges.
Jonathan Smith, president of the American Postal Workers Union, put out a statement the day the executive order was signed, calling it "anti-voter".
"The order contradicts the fundamental purpose of the USPS and its workforce – to provide universal service to all. The Postal Service serves all Americans; it cannot be used as a tool to disenfranchise voters."
Wednesday afternoon, we stopped by the University of Cincinnati to speak with students who recently voted by mail.
Freshman Joseph Britton told us why he chose mal-in voting.
“Ease of access, also had work and other obligations. By mail, I thought OK, that’s a good option, I don’t have to go in," Britton said.
We also spoke with Constance Okonkwo, a freshman at UC, who said she wants to vote by mail, but has had questions.
"Being from a different city, it has been kind of confusing, knowing what to do for mail-in ballots and things of that sort," Okonkwo said. "I want my vote to count, so I'm worried about it being lost or anything of that sort."
We asked Claire Wagner, president of the Cincinnati-area League of Women Voters, about common questions regarding mail-in ballot security.
“Our Secretary of State Frank LaRose has said that our elections, our last presidential elections in 2024, were 99.99% accurate," Wagner said.
Wagner cited a post-election audit after the 2024 election in Ohio.
We reached out to the White House on Wednesday and received this statement from a spokesperson.
“President Trump is right – mass mail-in ballots are hugely susceptible to fraud. Election integrity has always been a top priority for President Trump, and the American people sent him back to the White House because they overwhelmingly supported his commonsense election integrity agenda. The President will do everything in his power to defend the safety and security of American elections and to ensure that only American citizens are voting in them. Congress should also expeditiously pass President Trump’s SAVE America Act to protect elections for generations to come.”
We also reached out to local and Ohio-based federal lawmakers. Sen. Bernie Moreno's office said he supports Trump's executive order.
Rep. Greg Landsman's office sent us the following statement:
“Trump and congressional Republicans are doing everything they can to make voting harder for millions of Americans – from restricting mail-in ballots to passing the SAVE America Act. It’s one of the biggest threats to our democracy I’ve ever seen. We fix it by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is the most important bill to ending voter suppression.”
Ohio's Secretary of State's website has more information if you're looking for your local board of elections.
