Ross County voters who want to cast a ballot before Election Day can do so in person this week at the Ross County Board of Elections in Chillicothe, where early voting for the November 3 general election is running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, October 23. The board office is the county’s early in-person voting location, and the weekday schedule in place now is the last week of standard hours before the calendar expands for the final stretch of early voting.
The board’s office is at 475 Western Avenue, Suite D, in Chillicothe, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s directory of county boards and its list of early voting locations. Ross County voters should go to that office, rather than to their Election Day polling place, to vote early in person. Election Day precinct locations are used on November 3, while early in-person voting is handled at the board office during the hours set statewide.
Saturday voting begins this weekend. The board office will be open for early in-person voting on Saturday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving voters who work weekday hours a weekend option. There is no Sunday early voting this weekend under the statewide schedule; the final weekend of early voting comes a week later, at the end of October and the start of November.
Hours lengthen considerably in the last full week before Election Day. On Monday, October 26, early voting runs from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Tuesday, October 27, the office stays open even later, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Voting then continues from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, Thursday, October 29, and Friday, October 30, under the Secretary of State’s voting schedule.
Tuesday, October 27, is also an important deadline for voters who prefer to vote by mail. Absentee ballot applications must be received by the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. that day. Voters who have already received an absentee ballot should plan its return carefully, because non-UOCAVA absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, to be counted under the statewide rules.
Early in-person voting wraps up over the final weekend. The board office will be open on Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, November 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. That Sunday session is the last chance to vote early in person in Ross County. After it closes, the remaining option is to vote at an assigned polling place on Election Day itself.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polls across Ohio will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Ross County voters who have not voted early or returned an absentee ballot should go to their assigned precinct location during those hours. Voters with questions about early voting, absentee applications, or their polling place can contact the Ross County Board of Elections or check the Secretary of State’s voting schedule.