As November 8th Election Approaches, Ohioans are Utilizing Convenient Voting Options in Strong Numbers
With three weeks until Election Day, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced today that requests for early and absentee ballots now total 921,409, a 0.4 percent increase over the same point in the 2018 gubernatorial statewide election. As a part of that total, 50,368 Ohioans have now voted early in-person and 871,041 have requested an absentee ballot by mail.
“While not a significant increase over the same point in the 2018 election, Ohioans are showing confidence in Ohio’s abundant early voting opportunities,” said LaRose. “Our bipartisan boards of elections have done an incredible job making their early voting centers ready, and lines are short for anyone who wants to make sure their voice is heard.”
Over the course of the early voting period, Ohio voters will benefit from nearly 200 hours of early voting opportunities for the 2022 General Election. Ohio is one of 19 states that allows voting on a Saturday and one of just six states that allows early voting on a Sunday. Ohio’s early voting period is 21% longer than the national average.
Voters can check early voting days and hours by clicking here.
Voters may also choose to vote by mail. Learn how to request your absentee ballot at VoteOhio.gov.
Of the 42 states that run a traditional absentee voting system, a comprehensive review by the Brookings Institute determined no state does it better than Ohio. SOURCE: www.brookings.edu/research/voting-by-mail-in-a-pandemic-a-state-by-state-scorecard/.
Absentee voting in Ohio is time-tested and has strong security checks in place.
Ohioans have utilized absentee voting for two decades, and that has allowed Ohio to put in place both the laws and processes necessary to make absentee voting secure against fraud.
- Voter identification and signature are checked TWICE during the process.
- Voter list maintenance allows for accurate voter rolls.
- Ballot harvesting is against the law in Ohio.
- Voters are able to track their ballot on VoteOhio.gov/Track.
These requirements and processes, as well as strict laws against voter fraud, have made absentee voting secure in Ohio and instances of voter fraud provably rare. Learn more about how Ohio keeps our elections secure by visiting ElectionSecurity.Ohio.gov.
Ohioans can learn more about Ohio’s absentee ballot process by watching our short video, Life of An Absentee Ballot.
Voters should consider these best practices when they choose the absentee ballot option:
- Fill in the information properly. Review the form to ensure you have filled it out properly, including writing your date of birth where required, not the day’s date, as well as signing your request form.
- Include your e-mail and/or phone number. County boards of elections will be calling or e-mailing voters who may need to remedy information on their ballot request form or absentee ballot envelope. Including your information will ensure you can be reached if your ballot request doesn’t have everything filled out properly.
- Don’t wait. To accommodate necessary processing time at the county board of elections and the time required for the United States Postal Service to deliver elections mail, voters should not procrastinate – fill out and mail your absentee ballot request as soon as possible.
- Double check your return envelope. Before you submit your ballot request form, make sure the envelope is addressed to your county board of elections.
- Track your ballot. Once their ballot request is received by their county board of elections, voters may track their ballot at VoteOhio.gov/Track. As long as your ballot is postmarked by the day before the election and received within 10 days after the election at your county board of elections, your vote will be tabulated.
10/25/2022: This release has been edited to provide updated, accurate data from week 2 of early voting.
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