Early voting for the November 3 general election enters its final week in Guernsey County on Monday, and the county Board of Elections is reminding voters of one detail that could send them to the wrong door: the board is not moving to its new home at 612 Steubenville Avenue in Cambridge until after the election.
All early and absentee voting for this election stays at the board’s current office, 627 Wheeling Avenue, Suite 101, in Cambridge, according to the board and the Ohio Secretary of State’s early-voting directory. The board has announced that its relocation into the new county Public Services Building will begin only once the November election is concluded.
The final week brings the longest hours of the early-voting season. Guernsey County voters can cast an early ballot in person on Monday, October 26, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; on Tuesday, October 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Wednesday through Friday, October 28 to 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., under the statewide schedule set by the Secretary of State.
Two weekend sessions remain after that: 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 in-person voting on Monday, November 2. On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, voters cast ballots at their regular precinct polling places from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 27, is also a deadline day 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 evening. The board notes that an absentee application must be on file for each separate election before a ballot can be mailed, and anyone returning a ballot for someone else must sign the state’s Form 12-P delivery attestation.
Completed absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to count. Early and absentee voting for the November 3 election began on October 6, and the board was open through the Columbus Day holiday on October 12 to keep the line moving.
Guernsey County voters with questions can reach the Board of Elections at 740-432-2680 or through its website, boe.guernseycounty.gov, where the absentee and early-voting pages carry the full schedule. The board’s message heading into the final week is simple: vote early at Wheeling Avenue — the Steubenville Avenue move can wait until the ballots are counted.
Photo: Willjay, CC BY-SA 3.0