Pickaway County voters in Circleville are in the final days of early voting before the Nov. 3 general election, with in-person early voting running through Sunday, Nov. 1 at the Pickaway County Board of Elections, 141 W. Main St., Suite 800, in Circleville, according to the board’s posted election information.
Early in-person voting began Oct. 6 under the Ohio Secretary of State’s statewide schedule. The board’s posted hours for the final weekend are Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is no in-person early voting on Monday, Nov. 2, and voters still in line when a session ends are allowed to vote.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at voters’ assigned precinct polling places, according to the Ohio Secretary of State. Early ballots are cast at the board of elections office, not at a voter’s precinct, which opens only on Election Day.
Every Pickaway County voter will decide two countywide questions, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s roundup of the county Board of Elections’ certified ballot list: State Issue 3, on whether a photo ID requirement should be made part of the Ohio Constitution, and a levy renewal and increase for the Pickaway County Park District.
The park district question is a renewal of a 0.5-mill property tax with an increase of 0.25 mill, for a total of 0.75 mill for 10 years, The Columbus Dispatch reported from the certified list. The levy would fund maintenance of the district’s three parks, several trails and multiple paddling accesses, help local communities develop and improve their parks and trails, and help the district develop new trails and parks. If approved, it would generate more than $1.46 million a year and cost property owners $20 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s market value, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Voters in parts of the county will also decide local levies compiled by The Columbus Dispatch from the board’s certified list, including a Williamsport renewal levy for ambulance and emergency medical service, a Monroe Township additional levy for firefighting and emergency medical services, and a Deercreek Township additional levy for road and bridge construction and maintenance. In Ashville, voters face a referendum on whether village council should approve a development and supply agreement summary with EdgeConneX, which plans two data center buildings on more than 195 acres, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Absentee voters face a hard deadline this year. Under Senate Bill 293, absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 to be counted, with an exception for military and overseas voters, and there is no longer a post-Election Day grace period, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The Pickaway County Board of Elections can be reached at 740-474-1100, and sample ballots and precinct assignments are available through the Secretary of State’s voter lookup. What happens next is Election Day itself: polls open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, and unofficial results will follow after polls close at 7:30 p.m.