Early Voting Up in Ohio, Across Mahoning Valley
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – City residents Lou Carter and Amy Williams were the last two voters to cast early ballots in person Monday at the Mahoning County Elections Board. The last two voters in line at 2 p.m., they watched as others were told they could not vote because the early-voting deadline had passed.
“Some people got turned away,” Williams said. “They were more disappointed than angry. But some were saying they wouldn’t be able to get back down here tomorrow,” she reported.
Had Williams not gotten in line in time, she would have been unable to vote today when all polls are open. “I have to work and I wouldn’t be able to leave work to go vote,” she said.
At 2 p.m., some 200 voters were lined up; it would take another 60 minutes for Carter and Williams to get their ballots.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted report, nearly 1.8 million Ohioans had cast their ballots as of Monday. Of the more than 1.3 million absentee ballots mailed to voters during the absentee voting period, more than 1.1 million have already been returned, or 87.1%. In addition, more than 592,000 voters voted in person at their board of elections or designated vote center, his office reported.
“Clearly our efforts to make absentee voting more accessible for all Ohio voters have worked,” Husted said. “More voters have cast absentee ballots in this election than in any other election since no-fault absentee voting began in 2006.”
In Mahoning County, 44,302 voters have already cast their ballots, up from 41,225 in the 2008 presidential election, an increase of 7%.
In Trumbull County, early voting is up 8.6% from 2008, with 28,915 voters casting ballots by mail or in person.
And in Columbiana, early voting is up 25% compared to 2008, with 9,872 early voters.
The Democratic Party and the Obama for America organization claim a big organizational advantage in getting out the vote, but with absentee ballot applications mailed to every voter in Ohio, there is no way of knowing if that change in procedure by Husted’s office generated more Republican early votes than Democrats may assume.
Husted encourages voters who have requested and received absentee ballots to get them returned today. While the deadline to get ballots postmarked was Monday, voters may return their ballots in person to their board of elections up until the close of polls on Election Day. If a voter has requested an absentee ballot and decides instead to vote in person, they will be required to vote provisionally. Provisional ballots will not be counted for two weeks.
Polls are open today until 7:30 pm.
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.