Both counties have already surpassed the number of absentee ballots requested through the mail as well as in-person when compared to that type of voting seen in the same election in 2016.
Baker said that they processed more than 1,000 ballots on Saturday and Sunday. He said that is more than double what was reported for the first weekend of early voting in the 2016 general election, which saw 500 ballots processed.
As of Monday afternoon, 1,703 votes had been cast in Clark County for the day.
This year’s general election, as well as the one in 2016, are presidential ones and typically see a higher voter turnout.
“So far for this election cycle, everything has seemed to double,” Baker said.
He expects the number of absentee votes to continue to go up as there has been an influx in that number so far this election.
Early voting started on Oct. 6. A week after early voting started, the number of absentee ballot requests had already surpassed those seen for the entirety of the same election in 2016.
Baker said he expects that trend to continue for this upcoming weekend, expecting double the ballots cast during the same period in 2016, which was around 1,200. It will be the weekend before election day, which is Nov. 3.
He added that he would not be surprised if another 10,000 people voted in-person in the week leading up to the election.
As of Monday afternoon, Clark County has seen 20,671 mail-in ballots and 12,916 ballots cast in-person. In comparison, those numbers for the general election in 2016 were 11,246 ballots sent through the mail and 11,510 in person.
In Champaign County, 5,278 ballots have already been sent by mail and 4,288 people have voted in-person. That is a large increase when compared to 2016, which saw 2,943 ballots sent through the mail and 3,199 cast early in-person for the entire election.
A total of 385 ballots were cast in Champaign County on Saturday and Sunday. That is compared to a total of 171 over the same weekend in 2016.
Champaign County voters had cast an additional 361 ballots as of Monday afternoon.
However, absentee requests by mail have slowed down in Champaign County, mirroring trends also seen in Clark County.
The uptick in early voting has also caused several changes for election officials in both Clark and Champaign counties.
This year’s election also saw the change in location of were Clark County residents could vote in-person early. It was moved from the Board of Elections’ office on East Main Street to the Turner Studio Theatre on South Fountain Street in downtown Springfield.
Clark County election officials said that the new location allows for a one-way flow of foot traffic from the entrance to exit as well as for more voting check-in stations. The change also allows voters and election staff to better maintain social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Baker said the original location for in-person early voting would have only allowed for three check-in stations. He said they now have eight after having to purchase additional equipment. The elections board has also hired more than 15 extra staff to help with the influx of in-person early voting.
The need for poll workers on election day has also increased. The county is expected to have 550 poll workers on election day compared to the usual of 360.
In Champaign County, the location for early voting has stayed the same. However, three extra election staff were hired to help with the uptick in voting.
The number of poll workers needed for election day has also gone up. The county expects to have around 200 compared to a usual of 112, said Jodi Flora, the deputy director for the Champaign County Board of Elections.
Early voting locations
Clark County
(New location for early voting) Turner Studio Theatre at the Clark State Performing Arts Center
300 South Fountain Ave., Springfield
Mailing Address: PO Box 1766 Springfield, OH 45501-1766 Telephone: (937) 521-2120 Fax: (937) 328-2603 E-mail: elections@clark.boe.ohio.gov Website: www.boe.ohio.gov/clark/
Champaign County
Champaign County Board of Elections
1512 South U.S. Hwy 68, Suite L100 Urbana
Telephone: (937) 484-1575 Fax: (937) 484-1578 E-mail: champaig@OhioSoS.gov Website: www.boe.ohio.gov/champaign/
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