AP Exclusive: Thousands of Ohio absentee applications denied

(AP) COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Associated Press review has found that thousands of Ohio voters were held up or stymied in their efforts to get absentee ballots by mail last year because of a missing or mismatched signature on their ballot application. The signature requirement on such applications is a largely overlooked and rarely tracked step in Ohio’s voting. The state has shifted increasingly to mail-in ballots since early, no-fault absentee voting was instituted in 2005. Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose says that while Ohio has long been a national leader in early voting, there is more that can be done to prevent disenfranchisement.