Early voting has entered its final week in Hardin County, where voters can cast an in-person ballot at the Hardin County Board of Elections in the Hardin County Courthouse, One Courthouse Square, Suite 40, in Kenton, ahead of the November 3 general election. Monday, October 26 brings the first extended evening hours of the fall, with the office open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The final-week schedule, published by the board, continues Tuesday, October 27 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. — the longest day of early voting — then Wednesday through Friday, October 28 to 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day. Early voting closes out on Saturday, October 31 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 1 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no early voting on Monday, November 2.
Tuesday also carries a key deadline for voters who prefer to vote by mail. Absentee ballot applications must be received by the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. on October 27. Voters who have already returned a ballot by mail should make sure it reaches the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, and anyone holding a completed absentee ballot in the final days can return it in person to the board office rather than relying on the mail.
Hardin County voters deciding the November 3 ballot are choosing in Ohio’s eight statewide races, the statewide Issue 3 photo ID constitutional amendment, and the local races and issues on their precinct ballots, along with a contested county commissioner race and a Kenton charter question that were previewed earlier this fall. Sample ballots for each precinct are available through the board and the Ohio Secretary of State’s voter lookup tools, so voters can review their exact choices before they arrive.
The board’s office in the courthouse in downtown Kenton is the single early-voting location for the whole county, serving voters from Kenton, Ada, Dunkirk, Ridgeway and the county’s townships and villages. Voters should bring an accepted form of photo identification, and anyone unsure of their registration status, precinct or ballot style can check it through the Secretary of State’s VoteOhio.gov tools or by calling the board office.
For residents who wait until Election Day, polls across Hardin County will be open Tuesday, November 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at each voter’s assigned polling place — a different location from the courthouse early-vote center for most voters. Officials encourage voters who can vote early this week to do so, both to avoid Election Day lines and to leave time to resolve any registration or identification question before the final day.
Results from Hardin County will be reported after the polls close on November 3, beginning with the early and absentee ballots counted first under Ohio procedure. NewsForce247 will follow the county’s returns, including the commissioner race and local issues, as the board reports them on election night and through certification.
Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA