As of Friday morning, there have been about 1,430 requests for mail out ballots so far regarding the November election, Lopez said. The total number of ballots cast through the mail for election in 2016 was 11,246, according to data provided by the Clark County BOE.
This year’s general election will be held on Nov. 3. Absentee voting by mail and early in-person voting are both scheduled to begin on Oct. 6. That date is also when absentee ballots are expected to start being mailed to voters.
Though this year’s primary, originally scheduled for March but moved to April, turned into a mail-in only election amid the coronavirus pandemic, local election officials say that will not be the case for November.
Polling locations will be open on Nov. 3 for in-person voting. However, there is expected to be a few changes as local board of elections work to implement social distancing practices and increase cleaning efforts.
That will also be the case for residents who wish to cast their vote in-person ahead of election day. Lopez said her office is currently in the process of moving the location for early voting to allow for more social distancing.
Lopez said they are currently looking to move that voting area from their office on East Main Street in Springfield to possibly the Turner Studio Theatre at the Clark State Performing Arts Center on South Fountain Avenue.
She said they are also reviewing five other polling locations for the November election due to safety concerns caused by the pandemic. Those concerns could include not enough room or a lack of access points that allow for proper social distancing.
Lopez said that may mean finding different areas within the polling location’s facility or even changing locations all together. However, she said the end goal is to make the election as normal as possible for voters.
For Champaign County, the plan is for a regular election with additional personal protection equipment and similar safety measures, according to Jodi Flora, the county’s deputy director for its board of elections.
She said there are no plans to move polling locations at this time and her office is waiting on and planning to follow any additional directives from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
“We are following the standard procedures, but with more PPE. We are getting directives daily,” Flora said.
In terms of mail-in voting, her office expanded the size of their drop off ballot box in March and moved it from the back of their office located on 1512 S. U.S. Highway 68 in Urbana to the front of the office.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose stated last week that each county can only have one drop off box for ballots and ballot applications. Lopez and Flora said they have not heard concerns from residents regarding that rule.
The U.S. Postal Service has warned 46 states including Ohio that it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November will arrive on time, even if voters meet deadlines set by their states, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Lopez said that it is important for residents to make sure that all of their required information is filled out and is correct when sending applications for absentee ballots.
She said if that information, such as a voter’s date of birth, is not filled out or is incorrect it can bog down local election staff.
Facts and Figures
Oct. 6: Early voting begins and absentee voting by mail begins
Oct. 31: Last day to request absentee ballot by mail
Nov. 3: Election Day
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