MANSFIELD, Ohio — Richland County voters have one early-voting session left — Sunday, November 1, from 1 to 5 p.m. — before polls open across the county on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, and the Richland County Board of Elections is predicting turnout around 60 percent, up from roughly 52 percent in 2022.
The Mansfield News Journal reported that more than 10,000 Richland County voters had already cast ballots in person since early voting began October 6, and another 3,400 people had returned absentee ballots to the elections office at the Longview Center, 1495 West Longview Avenue in Mansfield. Board of Elections Director Matt Finfgeld told the Mansfield News Journal early voting turnout has been fantastic and predicted the 60 percent figure; Saturday’s final full early-voting day ran 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The board’s office is at 1495 West Longview Avenue, Suite 101, in Mansfield, and voters can check their polling location and sample ballot through the board’s tools at boe.ohio.gov and vote.richlandcountyoh.gov. The Ohio Secretary of State’s schedule sets Election Day polling hours at 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. statewide.
The Mansfield News Journal’s election guide outlines the county’s key contests: Republican incumbent Cliff Mears faces Democrat Mark Kaufmann for county commissioner; incumbent Kelly Badnell faces Robert Franco for probate judge; Republican incumbent Marilyn John is challenged by Democrat Colton Stidam in the 76th Ohio House District; and three candidates — incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, Democrat Josh D. Kolasinki and independent Tracey L. Tackett — are vying for Ohio’s 4th Congressional District seat. Townships and villages across the county carry nearly a dozen levies and issues, and Madison Local School District voters will consider a 14.4-mill renewal levy, according to the News Journal.
One deadline matters most for voters still holding a mail ballot: under Ohio’s current rules, absentee ballots must be received by the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, November 3 — there is no longer a post-Election Day grace period for most ballots. Dropping the ballot off at the Longview Center, rather than mailing it this late, is the safe route.
What happens next: early voting closes Sunday at 5 p.m., and Richland County polls open Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m., when unofficial results begin posting through the board and the Secretary of State.
Photo: OHWiki, CC BY-SA 4.0