Early voting enters its final week in Ashtabula County, where voters can cast an in-person ballot at the Ashtabula County Board of Elections, 8 W. Walnut St. in Jefferson, ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The board is the county’s only early in-person voting location, listed in the Ohio Secretary of State’s statewide early voting directory. Extended hours begin Monday, Oct. 26, when the board is open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from Oct. 28 through Oct. 30.
Saturday voting follows on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the final early voting session is Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no regular early voting on Monday, Nov. 2, so voters who want to vote ahead of Election Day need to use one of those remaining sessions.
Tuesday, Oct. 27 is also a hard deadline for mail voters: absentee ballot applications must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. that day. Completed absentee ballots must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3 — under current Ohio rules a postmark alone is no longer enough, so returning a ballot in person or mailing it well in advance is the safer plan.
Ashtabula County voters are deciding a full ballot this year, from statewide offices including governor and U.S. senator to state representatives, a Common Pleas judgeship, a county commissioner seat and the county auditor’s office, along with local issues in their communities. Voters can preview their own sample ballot through the Secretary of State and the county board before they go.
Voters heading to Jefferson should bring an accepted photo ID, and anyone unsure of their registration status, polling place or ballot can check with the board of elections or the Secretary of State’s voter tools. Early voters vote at the board office regardless of their home precinct; Election Day voters vote at their assigned polling place.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. County boards will then begin reporting results that night, with provisional ballots and any remaining eligible absentee ballots handled in the days that follow under state law.