GALION — There are so many ways to participate in an election, it can be overwhelming.
Early voting, absentee voting, remote voting … there is something for everyone.
Early voting is now available at each Ohio county’s board of elections office. In Crawford County, the address is 112 E. Mansfield St., Suite A, Bucyrus, OH 44820; in Morrow County, the address is 619 W. Marion Road, Room 146, Mount Gilead OH 43338. Regular office hours are 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
As Election Day approaches, both county election boards add additional hours for early voting.
In Crawford County, check the board of elections web page at https://crawfordcountyohioboe.gov/ for evening and weekend in-person early voting hours. Check the Morrow County Board of Elections web page at https://morrowcountyohio.gov/index.php/2013-01-11-19-24-05/board-of-elections for their expanded in-person voting hours as Election Day gets closer.
Absentee voting is also available now. Voters must use the written forms provided by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office or the countyboard of elections office to request an absentee ballot. Forms are available at the Ohio Secretary of State’s web page at https://www.ohiosos.gov/publications/#abr. Both English and Spanish language ballot request forms are available at this site.
The absentee ballot request form must be completed and returned to the board of elections office (addresses above) by U.S mail. Be sure to sign the request form and put correct postage on the envelope. An absentee ballot will be mailed to you.
The completed absentee ballot must be mailed back to the county elections board, postmarked no later than the day before an election. For the March 17 primary election, the postmark must be March 16 or earlier.
An absentee ballot may be delivered in person at the Crawford and Morrow County election board offices not later than 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. A drop box to collect completed absentee ballots can be found at the main entrance to the Crawford County Courthouse. Morrow County does not have a drop box; ballots must be mailed by March 16 or brought to that office before 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
A disabled voter can request a remote voter absentee ballot. The request form may be found online at https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/absentee-voting/#byMail
The ballot request form will be delivered to the voter via e-mail. It will be an electronic request form, completed on one’s home computer. After filling out the request form, it must be printed and mailed back to the elections board office. The form includes a statement by the voter that one’s disability qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
An electronic ballot will then be forwarded to one’s e-mail address. After completing the electronic ballot on a home computer, it must be printed and mailed back to the appropriate elections board, postmarked not later than March 16, 2020.
Any voter may confirm their voter registration status using the online form at https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/ Check the tips for completing the status request form; for example, was the registration form completed using your full name or a nickname? If the voter’s address has changed since the last election, use the same form to update one’s registration.
New voters may register now to be eligible to vote in an August election (if one is needed) as well as the important Nov 3, 2020 presidential election. A registration form is available online at https://olvr.ohiosos.gov/, click on Register to Vote, and follow the instructions found there
