Infected with the coronavirus? You can still vote

Ohioans recently infected with COVID-19 can still cast their ballots before polls close Tuesday, per guidance from Ohio’s elections authority.

Maggie Sheehan, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office, said there is an emergency option in place for some people who have recently been ordered to quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19.

If the order was issued after noon Saturday

If any Ohioans have been ordered to isolate or quarantine after noon Saturday and the order forbids them from curbside voting, they can request an absentee ballot from their county board of elections.

The local board must receive the application (form 11-B) by 3 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday.

If voting by mail, the ballot must be postmarked Monday. If not, it must be delivered to the county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cars in line for a drop box by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to proceed.

About 3,000 Ohioans per day have contracted COVID-19 over the past week, per Ohio Department of Health data.

If the order was issued before noon Saturday

Ohioans who were ordered to isolate or quarantine last week had until noon Saturday to request an absentee ballot.

Sheehan could not immediately be reached to answer whether there’s recourse for these voters.

However, she said if the order allows the voter to drive to their polling place, remain in their car and vote curbside, “we strongly encourage them to do so.”

All boards of elections must offer curbside voting to any voter who is physically unable to enter a poll location, per guidance from LaRose. Poll workers assisting these voters are instructed to don certain extra protective equipment, communicate only through slightly ajar car windows, and other precautions.