Coshocton County voters are in the final days of early voting for the November 3 general election, with the Coshocton County Board of Elections at 724 S. 7th St., Room 100, in Coshocton serving as the county’s early in-person voting site, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s early voting directory. Early voting began October 6 and runs through Sunday, November 1.
The remaining early in-person hours follow the statewide schedule published by the Ohio Secretary of State: Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; 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 voting on Monday, November 2, and voters still in line when a session ends are allowed to vote, according to the Secretary of State’s schedule.
On the county ballot, voters will decide a contested race for county commissioner between Republican W. Chuck Ellis and write-in candidate Rick Conkle, for the seat held by Gary Fischer, who did not seek reelection, the Coshocton Tribune reported. The Tribune reported that Ellis is the recently retired president and owner of Pearl Valley Cheese, while Conkle is a former Jackson Township trustee who retired from the Coshocton County Engineer’s Office in 2008.
Two countywide levies also shape the ballot. Coshocton County Emergency Medical Services is seeking renewal of a 3-mill levy for five years for operations, estimated to generate about $2.1 million annually and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $62 a year, the Coshocton Tribune reported. The Coshocton County District Library is seeking renewal of a 0.5-mill levy for five years for current expenses, estimated to generate $400,237 per year and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $12 annually, the Tribune reported.
Voters who requested an absentee ballot by mail face a hard deadline. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot was October 27 at 8:30 p.m., according to the Coshocton County Board of Elections, and completed ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, to be counted, according to the Ohio Secretary of State. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said on October 27 that it might already be too late to drop ballots in the mail and have them arrive by the deadline, according to Cleveland.com reporting carried by The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Voters who still hold a mail ballot can return it in person to the board office at 724 S. 7th St. in Coshocton instead of mailing it, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s drop-off list — removing the risk of a postal delay.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polls across Coshocton County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters cast ballots that day at their assigned precinct polling place rather than at the board office, according to the Ohio Secretary of State. Voters can confirm their registration, polling place and sample ballot through the Coshocton County Board of Elections and the Secretary of State’s voter lookup tools.