Early voting draws crowds
The number of those voting early has exceeded predictions.
CINCINNATI (AP) — In some parts of this battleground state, every day has felt like Election Day this week.
Early voting sites are staying open well into the evening to reduce long lines Nov. 4, and voters are taking advantage of the opportunity to cast their ballots.
When Clark County Board of Elections Deputy Director Mary Beth Leep arrived at work Thursday morning, 25 people were already lined up waiting for her. Close to 700 people voted Wednesday, she said.
“I think we’ll top that today,” Leep said. “Usually, the line can be contained in a loop in our lobby, but today I notice it’s out the door.”
At the Greene County Board of Elections in Xenia, the line stretched out the basement office and up two ramps. Nancy Johannes, administrative assistant to the director, estimated about 50 voters were waiting in line.
Some sites in Ohio are open 12 hours a day, and some will remain open Saturday and Sunday.
About a third of voters across the nation are expected to vote early this year. In Florida, officials say about 2 million people have voted, often standing in line for hours.
More than 2,000 people voted Wednesday in Cincinnati, while more than 3,000 others cast ballots in Columbus and Cleveland.
The Hamilton County Board of Elections said that though Wednesday, there had been 19,595 votes cast in person and another 83,901 absentee ballots returned.
The Franklin County Board of Elections office couldn’t keep up with the demand at Veterans Memorial Hall in downtown Columbus, where more than 38,000 in-person votes have been cast, far exceeding the projected total.
Officials originally estimated just 12,000 people would vote early, said spokesman Ben Piscitelli.
“It’s just outgrown our offices,” Piscitelli said.
Voters have returned more than 163,000 of the 250,000 absentee ballots that were sent out across the county, and county officials expect nearly five times that many votes to be cast overall.
In Cuyahoga County, voters patiently waited for about half an hour on average. About 35,000 early votes have been cast at the Board of Elections, and 160,000 absentee ballots have been mailed in as of Thursday.
“The line has been long, but it is moving very smoothly,” said Laura Black, assistant to elections director Jane Platten.