Fayette County voters are in the final days of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, with the county board of elections at 135 S. Main St. in Washington Court House open under the statewide early-voting schedule set by the Ohio Secretary of State.
Early in-person voting runs from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s 2026 voting schedule. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The biggest local question on many Fayette County ballots is the renewal of the levy that funds the Fayette County EMS District, the county’s primary ambulance provider out of Washington Court House since it was established in 1976, under Director Rodney List, according to reporting by the Scioto Valley Guardian.
The levy would not exceed 1.9 mills and would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $49 a year, according to a cost breakdown the district released in August and reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian. The district has stressed the measure is a renewal of existing funding rather than a new tax, is expected to raise about $1.48 million a year, and supports a service that responds to roughly 4,400 calls a year, the Guardian reported.
Only residents of the communities the district serves will vote on the levy: it covers all county townships and municipal corporations, including the village of New Holland, with the exception of Jefferson Township, the village of Jeffersonville, and the portion of Perry Township served by the Greenfield Exempted Village School District, according to the district information reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian.
Voters who still hold a mail ballot should not rely on the mail at this point. Secretary of State Frank LaRose said on Oct. 27 that it might already be too late to mail a ballot and have it arrive by the Election Day deadline, according to Cleveland.com reporting carried by Cincinnati.com. Absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, and Fayette County voters can drop theirs off at the board office at 135 S. Main St. in Washington Court House.
What happens next: early voting ends Sunday, Nov. 1, and Fayette County voters who have not yet cast a ballot will vote at their polling places on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Results for the EMS levy renewal and the rest of the county’s ballot will begin to be reported after polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA