Ohio governor 'reluctantly' signs bill eliminating grace period for late ballots12/24/2025COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine has signed legislation eliminating Ohio's four-day grace period for late-arriving mail-in ballots. The Republican said Friday that he reluctantly signed the bill to avoid chaos in next year's critical midterm elections. At issue is a pending U.S. Supreme Court case out of Mississippi that challenges the counting of such ballots as a violation of federal law. If a lower court ruling is upheld, DeWine said Ohio would wind up with different ballot rules for federal and state candidates. Democrats and voter advocates said the change will disenfranchise thousands of voters who cast absentee ballots through the mail.