Richland County voters can cast an early in-person ballot for the November 3 general election this week at the Richland County Board of Elections, 1495 West Longview Avenue, Suite 101, in Mansfield. Early voting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, October 23, under the statewide schedule set by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Hours expand in the final stretch: Saturday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, October 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, October 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and October 28, 29 and 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The schedule closes Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no early voting on Monday, November 2.
Voters who prefer to vote by mail face a nearer deadline. Absentee ballot applications must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, according to the Secretary of State’s voting schedule. The board says voters can download an application from its website, request one by email, or call (419) 774-5530 to have one mailed to them.
Completed absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on November 3 to be counted, under the Secretary of State’s schedule. Voters who requested a ballot by mail can track its status through the voter tools on the board’s website.
What voters decide depends on their precinct, but the sample ballots published by the board show a full slate: governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. senator for the unexpired term ending in 2029, attorney general, auditor of state, secretary of state, treasurer of state, two Ohio Supreme Court seats, and congressional and state representative races. County contests include county commissioner, county auditor, clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, and Court of Appeals and Common Pleas judgeships, including probate division.
Statewide Issue 3, a proposed constitutional amendment to require voters to present photo identification to vote, also appears on Richland County ballots. Individual precincts add local questions of their own, including, depending on where a voter lives, school district tax levies and income tax questions — which is why officials urge voters to preview their exact ballot first through the board’s website.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, voters who have not voted early or by mail vote at their assigned polling location, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters can confirm their registration, sample ballot and polling place through the board at boe.ohio.gov/richland or the Ohio Secretary of State, and can reach the board office at (419) 774-5530 with questions.
Photo: OHWiki, CC BY-SA 4.0