SANDUSKY, Ohio — Erie County voters are in the final days of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, with in-person voting running at the Erie County Board of Elections office at 2900 Columbus Ave., Room 101, in Sandusky, according to the board’s official early voting schedule.
Early voting hours run 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 28–30, then 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, the board lists. There is no early in-person voting on Monday, Nov. 2. Election Day polls are open Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The window to request a mail ballot has closed — absentee ballot applications were due at the board by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. Under Ohio’s current rules, absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, with no post-Election Day grace period for domestic ballots. Voters still holding a mail ballot can return it in person to the board office at 2900 Columbus Ave. rather than risk mail delays.
Erie County’s Nov. 3 ballot carries contested county races and local levies and issues alongside Ohio’s statewide races. Voters can review their sample ballot and registration status through the board of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State before heading to vote, and the board takes questions at 419-627-7601.
Second-pass coverage note: this is Erie County’s second-pass election story in NewsForce247’s county-by-county rotation. Our first-pass story covered what is on the county’s Nov. 3 ballot; this update covers the final early-voting schedule and the absentee deadlines that now govern the closing days of the election.
For Sandusky-area voters who plan to vote early, the board’s office on Columbus Avenue is the county’s only early-voting location. Lines typically build in the final weekend sessions, so weekday voters on Thursday and Friday may find the shortest waits of the remaining schedule.
What happens next: early voting ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. After that, the only way to cast a ballot is in person at your assigned precinct on Tuesday, Nov. 3, between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., or by returning a completed absentee ballot to the board office by 7:30 p.m. that night.
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA