Early voting enters its final week in Knox County on Monday, with the Board of Elections at 104 East Sugar Street in Mount Vernon opening for extended hours as the November 3 general election approaches. Monday’s hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the first of five straight weekdays with expanded access at the county’s only early vote center.
The schedule steps up again on Tuesday, October 27, when the office stays open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday is also the deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot by mail, with applications due by the close of business at 8:30 p.m. under Ohio law. From Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, October 30, early voting runs 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day.
Weekend hours close out the early voting period. The board office will be open Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, November 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Early in-person voting ends that Sunday afternoon, and voters who have not cast a ballot by then will vote at their assigned precinct polling place on Election Day.
Knox County voters got an early start to the season. Board of Elections Director James Blazer reported 384 voters cast ballots on Tuesday, October 6, the first day of early voting — a pace he described as strong for a gubernatorial election year, at about two-thirds of the first-day turnout from the previous presidential election. Any registered Knox County voter may vote early at the board office, regardless of precinct.
On the November 3 ballot, Knox County voters will decide statewide races including governor, attorney general, secretary of state and U.S. senator, along with statewide Issue 3 and the county and local races and levies on their precinct ballots. Voters can preview their specific ballot and confirm their registration through the Knox County Board of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open statewide from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters who requested an absentee ballot should return it promptly — by mail in time to be postmarked by November 2, or in person to the board office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. The board can be reached at 740-393-6716 with questions about hours, identification or polling locations.
Photo: Mark Spearman, CC BY