The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Ballot requests outpacing 2016
Lorain County Board of Elections has received 43,286 requests for absentee ballots
More than three weeks before actual voting starts, requests for absentee ballots already are outpacing requests made for the November 2016 general election, according to the Lorain County Board of Elections.
As of Sept. 14, the board had 43,286 requests for ballots to be mailed to Lorain County voters for the Nov. 3 election, said Paul Adams, elections board director.
In the November 2016 general election, the elections board received 35,078 requests for ballots by mail.
This year, the Board of Elections surpassed that by Sept. 8, Adams said.
Absentee ballots and voting by mail have received attention this year due to high expected voter turnout for the presidential election, along with health and safety concerns about public gatherings due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“The whole thing is, we started early, we prepared early, we’re ready for this,” said Tim Fergus, absentee coordinator at the Lorain County Board of Elections.
Oct. 5 is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming election.
The elections board will start mailing out ballots Oct. 6, when early voting starts.
“Once we can, we’re going to be sending out tens of thousands of them,” Adams said.
Until then, the requests for ballots are filling up filing cabinets at the Board of Elections, 1985 North Ridge Road East in Sheffield Township.
Fergus and Adams offered guidance for Lorain County residents who want a ballot by mail this fall.