Ross County voters have entered the final week of early in-person voting for the November 3 general election, with the Ross County Board of Elections open long hours at 475 Western Avenue, Suite D, in Chillicothe through Sunday, November 1, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s early voting directory. Early voting runs from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, October 28 to 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, under the statewide schedule published by the Secretary of State.
This is a second-pass update for Ross County in NewsForce247’s county-by-county election coverage: the county’s ballot itself has not changed since our first-pass preview, but the clock has. The deadline for absentee ballot applications to reach the board passed at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, according to the Secretary of State’s voting calendar, which means the remaining paths to a ballot are early in-person voting this week or voting at a voter’s own polling place on Election Day.
On the ballot, Ross County has no contested local races, the Chillicothe Gazette reported in its ballot preview. Republican David S. Pinkerton is listed for county commissioner, Republican Jeff Lehner for county auditor, and Jeffrey C. Marks for probate court judge in the juvenile division, according to the candidate list published by the Chillicothe Gazette. Voters also decide the statewide races, the U.S. Senate race, congressional and Statehouse contests, and two Ohio Supreme Court seats listed in the Gazette’s preview.
Seven local issues are up for a vote across the county, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. They include a proposed 0.75 percent earned income tax for Chillicothe City Schools for current expenses over five years, a 0.2 percent City of Chillicothe income levy dedicated exclusively to street paving, repairs and improvements, and a Paint Valley Local Schools renewal of 2.5 mills for permanent improvements, according to the Gazette’s issue list.
The remaining issues are township and village questions, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. Huntington Township voters decide a 1-mill renewal for fire and EMS purposes and a proposed ordinance authorizing electricity aggregation with opt-out provisions, while Village of Bainbridge voters decide two operating-expense renewals, of 2 mills and 2.9 mills, each for five years, according to the Gazette.
Voters who want to hear from the candidates directly had a final forum this week: the Ross County NAACP hosted a Meet the Candidates Night on Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the Carver Community Center in Chillicothe, where candidates talked about issues and answered questions from the public and representatives were available to discuss the ballot issues, the Chillicothe Gazette reported.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, when polls across Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the Secretary of State. Ross County voters can confirm their registration, sample ballot and Election Day polling place through the Secretary of State’s voter lookup, and can reach the Ross County Board of Elections at its Western Avenue office in Chillicothe with questions about early voting hours or absentee ballots already requested.
Photo: Rdikeman, CC BY-SA