COLUMBUS — The Ohio legislature voted Wednesday to eliminate a four-day post-election grace period that allowed several thousand mail-in absentee ballots across the state to be counted in the 2024 presidential election. The vote came weeks after the state was threatened by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In recent months, the U.S. Department of Justice has been warning Ohio officials it might sue the state over the issue.

Ohio Republicans are mulling election changes as President Donald Trump targets absentee ballots and noncitizen voting.

Wednesday evening, the Ohio House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 293, an election integrity bill that changes the rules on mail-in voting and voter

Democrat Tim Ryan, a former 20-year Mahoning Valley congressman, will not run for governor — essentially setting up next year’s race between two candidates who’ve never held public office. In a prepared statement Friday,

Ohio ensures the secure transport of Kelleys Island ballots on Election Day, involving bipartisan election officials and Coast Guard escort.

By this time next year, Ohio will have chosen a new governor. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is term-limited, so Ohio’s top seat is an open race. Gathering the