COLUMBUS – With a little over a week before Election Day, more Ohioans have opted for early voting than at the same point during the primary election four years ago, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
The state’s top elections official says that 220,051 absentee ballots had been requested by-mail and in-person from county boards of election by the close of business Friday, April 27, a 21 percent increase over 2014, and 128,276 voters have cast their ballots by mail or in person, about 5 percent more than four years ago.
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On May 8, voters will decide a statewide ballot issue reforming the way Ohio’s congressional districts are drawn, a number of state and local races, including a U.S. Senator and representatives to Congress and the state General Assembly. There are 479 local issues on ballots in 83 counties.
You can view the list of candidates for statewide, congressional, state legislative, and court of appeals offices online at MyOhioVote.com. Information on local contests is available by contacting the county board of elections.
A registered voter can cast an absentee ballot by mail or early in person, which gives them 24 hours a day to vote from home or nearly 200 hours to vote in person that includes weeknights and weekends, respectively.
Voters who want to cast an absentee ballot by mail must request one by Saturday, May 5 at noon and return it to their county board of elections’ office by 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, Secretary of State Jon Husted said.
Absentee ballots postmarked by May 7 will be counted, but those returning their ballots close to the deadline should consider delivering it to their board of elections’ office to ensure it is counted, Husted said.