LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Hours out from polling locations opening across Northeast Ohio and county election officials are already reporting higher-than-normal turnout and reminding voters what they need to know before heading to the polls.
If you have a vote-by-mail ballot, it must be postmarked no later than Monday, November 6. Lorain County Board of Elections director Paul Adams recommended going to the post office to make sure it has the right date on it.
“Because if we receive that ballot and somehow the post office doesn’t put a legible post mark or there’s no post mark on it at all, there’s a possibility that ballot might not be counted,” Adams said.
You can also return the mail-in ballot in person at your county’s board of elections office on Election Day during voting hours.
This is also the first general election with new rules in place from House Bill 458.
“When we get to a general election like were going to have tomorrow, that’s where you have a much higher turnout of voters and voters that might not have paid attention to some of those rule changes. And this may be some of the first times that a large number of voters in our county are going to be seeing these new rules,” Adams said.
The new law eliminated early voting the day before Election Day. It also put stricter rules in place for in-person voting. You must bring a valid photo ID. Some previous documents no longer work. The ID can include an Ohio’s driver’s license, State ID, U.S. passport or a military card. The ID cannot be expired.
In Lake County, the board of elections director said early voting saw 11,458 voters, up significantly compared to 2021. They’re projecting a “heavy turnout”, or more than 50% voter turnout overall compared to 27.45% in 2021.
Geauga County said their absentee ballots had more than doubled. Elections officials said they had the highest turnout in the state in the August special election and they anticipated that momentum to continue with the state issues and local races on the ballot.
Adams said 28,536 voters had either voted early or requested to vote by mail in Lorain County. But, as in all counties, most voters are expected to vote in person on Election Day.
“First off, I would obviously say the two state issues are garnering a lot of attention. Not only in our country but obviously across the state. That’s going to be a driver for general turnout,” he said. “But all politics is local when we’re dealing with a local election year like this one. So, we are expecting in certain communities that you’re going to have much much higher turnout in places that have additional tax levies, bond issues or mayoral races that are becoming contentious in certain communities.”
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Below you'll find more fast facts you need to know about voting in Tuesday's election...
WHEN ARE THE POLLS OPEN?
Polls are open throughout Ohio for the Nov. 7 general election from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Remember, you are still permitted to vote as long as you're in line before the polls close at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE IS MY POLLING PLACE?
You can find your polling location HERE.
WHAT FORM OF ID SHOULD I BRING SO I CAN VOTE?
You need to have a form of ID with you to cast a ballot on election day. Acceptable forms of identification as listed by the Secretary of State's office are as follows:
- Ohio driver's license;
- State of Ohio ID card;
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV;
- A US passport;
- A US passport card;
- US military ID card;
- Ohio National Guard ID card; or
- US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
All photo IDs must have the following:
- An expiration date that has not passed;
- A photograph of the voter;
- The voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the Poll List or in the Poll Book
Ohio law prohibits acceptance of the following forms of ID:
- Driver’s license or photo identification card issued by a state other than Ohio;
- Social Security card
- Birth certificate
- Insurance card
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Other government document
- Any registration acknowledgment notice from the county board of elections
WHAT IF I FORGET MY ID?
"If you do not provide one of the above forms of photo ID, you will still be able to vote using a provisional ballot," according to the Secretary of State. "However, for that ballot to be counted, you must return to the board of elections no later than four days following Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification. If you do not have a photo ID because of a religious objection to being photographed, you may complete an affidavit of religious objection and have your provisional ballot count."
WHAT TIME WILL RESULTS COME IN?
We expect to see the first results shortly after 7:30 p.m. Absentee ballots are the first votes counted, according to the Secretary of State's office.
WHERE CAN I WATCH FOR RESULTS?
WKYC will share the special election results with updates on Issue 1 after the polls close, which you can check at wkyc.com/elections. Be sure to follow WKYC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for complete coverage. Here's what you can expect from 3News:
- Breaking election results will be available through push alerts with the free WKYC app. You can download our news app here: Android, Apple.
- Results and reaction as our reporters bring you the latest details regarding Ohio Issue 1. Watch for these updates during our newscasts at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- A complete wrap up the following morning on GO! from 4:30-7 a.m.
- Subscribe to our free 3News to GO! newsletter HERE to have the election results and other top headlines sent straight to your e-mail inbox.