What happens if a voter wakes up on Election Day with a virus, or the kids come down with a bug and are home all day from school? What if the sitter is sick? What if the car battery is dead or you cannot find your keys? What if the voter has to work unscheduled overtime? There are any number of normal everyday roadblocks that just might stop the most well-intentioned voter from casting a ballot.
Voting early in-person avoids that last minute panic and rushing. It gets that important job of every citizen done.
Last week we got our voting done early in person at the Clark County Board of Election offices in Springfield at 3130 E. Main St. (formerly East. National Rd.)
We’ve done this multiple times over the last decade and each time it seems to be a little bit easier and better organized.
It seemed to us that this year the Clark County Board of Elections may have reached perfection. It seems like every square foot of the public portion of the offices are now used.
Parking was very close. We checked in at the lobby and showed our IDs to start the process.
(Before I go any further explaining the process, please take a second to double check your photo ID card to make sure that it has not expired. If it has expired you will need to get it renewed or bring one of the other accepted forms of identification with you to vote. For information about identification, visit boe.ohio.gov/clark/ or call 937-521-2120.)
After checking in we were handed our ballots in folders and directed to the voting room. The traditional standing line of privacy cubicles for voting were there in addition to places to sit to privately fill out the ballot. Since this is a two-page ballot this time, we were glad we could sit. It is good that sitting is available for older voters or for someone with disabilities or an injury. I know we appreciated it.
It took awhile to fill out our selection of little ovals. We were glad we’d done our homework and already knew how we were to vote on the issues.
We processed the ballot by ourselves, inserting it into the counting machine and waiting for the indication that it had been received before inserting the second page. Then we picked up our “I Voted!” sticker, exited and headed for the car.
It really didn’t take long.
Director Jason Baker told me that nearly 7,000 Clark County voters have already voted early in person. He anticipates that 800 to 900 additional citizens will vote each day of early in person voting. Another 2,000 absentee ballots have already been received with more arriving almost every minute.
“We go to the post office at least two to three times a day to pick up the paper absentee ballots,” said Director Baker.
Clark County has approximately 88,000 registered voters. The turn out in 2020 was 72% and he expects a similar or slightly larger turn out this time.
The hours for early in-person voting were expanded this week and are now from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct 21 – 25. On Oct 26 the hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The offices are open only half a day on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Next week, Oct 28, 30, 31 and Nov. 1, the early in-person voting hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. On one day Oct 29 the hours are 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday Nov 2 has 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. voting hours. Sunday Nov 3 has afternoon voting 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Polls on Election Day at the precincts are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Once the polls close on Election Day the first votes counted and reported will be the early in-person voting and the absentee ballots that have been received and processed. They will not be listed as part of a precinct until later on.
Director Baker said that the BOE staff is “jazzed” to make voting an efficient and pleasant experience.
Voters are urged to have their identification within easy reach when they arrive and to study the issues and candidates ahead of time so that the voting process will go smoothly.
For information on state and local races, see the Voters Guide at www.daytondailynews.com/voter-guide.
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