Early voting for the November 3 general election continues this week in Licking County, where voters can cast ballots in person at the Licking County Board of Elections office in Newark. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, October 23, continuing a weekday schedule that has run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. since early October.
The board office is located at 20 South Second Street in Newark. Hours expand in the final days before the election. Voting runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, then from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 26, and from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. From October 28 through October 30, hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 1.
At the top of the county ballot, voters will decide a contested race for county commissioner between Kathy McLeish, a Democrat, and Mark Van Buren, a Republican. Besides statewide Issue 3, the only countywide issue on the ballot is a renewal levy for the Licking Park District.
The park district proposal is a 0.375-mill renewal for five years to support parks, trails, and recreation. The district maintains 13 parks covering more than 1,600 acres, along with more than 46 miles of paved trails. Because it is a renewal, the measure would continue an existing levy rather than create a new one.
Some voters will see additional local questions depending on where they live. Voters in Pataskala and in Granville are considering data-center bans and charter amendments. Those items apply only within those communities, so ballots will differ from one part of the county to another.
Voters who prefer to vote absentee by mail face deadlines before Election Day. Absentee ballot applications must be received by October 27. Completed absentee ballots must be received by 7:30 p.m. on November 3 to be counted.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, when polls across Licking County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters who have not cast an early or absentee ballot by then can vote in person at their polling location on Election Day. The board of elections office in Newark remains the single location for in-person early voting in the county.