Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 general election enters its final week in Hamilton County on Monday, Oct. 26, with voters casting ballots at the county Board of Elections office, 4700 Smith Road in Norwood, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the board’s official election calendar.
The final-week schedule expands from there: Tuesday, Oct. 27 runs 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28-30, run 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31 runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the last early-voting session is Sunday, Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m. There is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 is also the deadline that matters for mail voters: absentee ballot applications must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. that night. Completed ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to count — Ohio no longer offers a postmark grace period for most voters.
The final week opens days after a brief scare at the Norwood office. On Saturday, Oct. 24, first responders were called at about 10:50 a.m. after a “suspicious substance” was received in the mail, and the administrative office was evacuated, the board said in a statement reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer. No one was injured, police cleared the building for re-entry, and the board emphasized that only the administrative office was evacuated and early voting was not impacted.
Hamilton County’s ballot carries the statewide races and State Issue 3 alongside local questions, including the Hamilton County Job and Family Services Children’s Services Levy and school levies in six districts, including Cincinnati Public Schools, according to the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library’s voter guide. Voters can preview their exact sample ballot on the board’s website before they go.
Election Day itself is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls across Hamilton County are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters with questions can reach the board at 513-946-8500 or at VoteHamiltonCountyOhio.gov.
For voters who want to avoid Election Day lines, the message from the calendar is simple: this is the last full week to vote early in person in Norwood, and Tuesday night’s 8:30 p.m. absentee-application deadline is the week’s hardest cutoff.
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA