These are the initial voting problems reported to the Free Press.
Reports came in during early voting, prior to primary Election Day:
* The Franklin County Board of Elections (BOE) (Columbus) "accidentally" mailed completed absentee ballots to some voters. The Franklin County BOE reported that it would be contacting those voters.
* An Election Protection worker attempted to see all three Party sample ballots - Democrats, Greens and Republicans. A Franklin County BOE absentee ballot official incorrectly informed her that the Green Party did not have a ballot. The problem was corrected by a BOE supervisor.
* An incumbent Franklin County Green Party Central Committee member and candidate on the Green Party primary ballot went in the Franklin County BOE early voting site and asked for a Green Party ballot. She was initially told there was no Green Party ballot. She had to demand they find and give her a Green Party ballot.
* The Free Press got a call from a Franklin County voter reporting that the home page of the Franklin County BOE did not list early voting hours for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday prior to the Tuesday, March 15 Election Day.
* Three reports came in from Greene County that long-time voters were told to vote provisional ballots. Two refused and received a regular ballot and the other complied. Provisional ballots often have a high rate of rejection in Ohio.
Reports from Tuesday, March 15 primary Election Day:
* Election Protection observer Steve Spitz in Athens County reported that a high school student was told at her high school that 17-year-olds who would be 18 by the general election this year were NOT permitted to vote in the primary, despite the court ruling last week that these 17-years-olds ARE allowed to to vote.
* Franklin County Green Party Central Committee candidate Connie Hammond went to her polling site at Whetstone and was told there was no Green Party ballot by a pollworker. She had to go to the presiding judge to obtain the Green Party ballot. A call to the BOE did not resolve the problem but a supervisor spoke with our Election Protection attorney and assured him they would send out a directive on their Election Tracker communication system and speak directly with election officials at the polling site.
* School officials at the Como Elementary School polling site in Franklin County ordered canvassers off school property even though they were standing beyond the 100 foot signs designated by U.S. flags. This has been a reoccurring problem in Ohio in urban areas, particularly under Republican Secretary of States.