Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 general election continues in Seneca County this week, with the Seneca County Board of Elections in Tiffin open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 23. The board’s office is at 71 S. Washington St., Suite 1101, in Tiffin, and early voting there is open to any registered Seneca County voter, regardless of precinct.
The schedule expands from here. The board will hold Saturday hours on Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving voters who work weekday hours a weekend option. The final week of early voting brings longer days: Monday, Oct. 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Oct. 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Early voting then closes with a final weekend: Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no early in-person voting on Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the election. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters who choose that route vote at their assigned polling place rather than at the board office.
Seneca County voters are deciding a full Nov. 3 ballot that reaches from statewide offices and issues down to county, municipal, township and school questions in communities including Tiffin and Fostoria. Voters who want to see exactly what they will be asked to decide can review their sample ballot and check their registration and polling information through the Ohio Secretary of State and the county board before they go.
Absentee voting by mail runs alongside the in-person option. Under Ohio’s statewide schedule, absentee ballot applications must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27. Completed absentee ballots must be received by the board office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, and the board maintains a secure drop box under 24-hour surveillance for voters who prefer to return a ballot in person.
The board of elections is led by Director Lori Elchert and Deputy Director James Ehrman, with board members Jim Cline, who serves as chairperson, Theresa Nibblett, Linda Davis and Nancy Grandillo. The office can be reached at 419-447-4424 during its regular office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, separate from the early-voting hours listed above.
For Seneca County residents, the practical message is that the easiest week to vote early is the one now underway — weekday lines are served at the Tiffin office from 8 to 5, Saturday adds a shorter day, and the long-hour final week follows. However a voter chooses to cast a ballot, election officials urge making a plan now rather than waiting until Nov. 3.