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Early voters hit the area’s board of elections to cast ballots on the first day
YOUNGSTOWN
When the Mahoning County Board of Elections opened for business on the first day of early in-person voting, Amin H. Afi of Youngstown was waiting to cast the first ballot.
So why would Afi get to the elections board at 8 a.m. Tuesday to vote first when he has numerous other opportunities to vote in-person or by mail before the Nov. 3 election?
“I always vote on the first day,” he said. “I was looking forward to this day. I’ve never missed voting. Besides, I’m an early bird.”
Afi, who is black, also said, “There was a time my people weren’t able to vote.”
The key issue on the ballot for Afi is the state issue to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use for those at least 21 years old. The issue creates 10 facilities to grow marijuana, which some contend creates a monopoly.
“The medical part I support, but the other part concerns me,” Afi said. “I hate to disappoint people who need it for medical reasons, but we ought to not go with that.”
About 85 county residents came out to vote in-person Tuesday.
Also, the board had 2,200 requests by mail for absentee ballots.
“That is very light for odd-year elections,” said board Director Joyce Kale-Pesta. “By now, we usually have 5,000 to 6,000 absentee requests. It will be 50,000 in the November 2016 presidential election.”
Also among the early voters was Keith Little of Youngstown.
“I work crazy hours and I was off today, so it was a good time to vote,” he said. “I sometimes vote on the first day; sometimes I vote by mail. It’s an easy process and you beat the crowds. It’s a matter of my schedule.”
Little said he primarily came out to in support of the Youngstown charter amendment to ban fracking and against the marijuana-legalization bill.
“Marijuana shouldn’t be a monopoly,” he said. “Going to jail for possession needs to stop, but I don’t support this. Without the monopoly, I’d vote yes.”
It was the first time voting early on the first day for Ronald Dace of Youngstown.
His main motivation was to simply vote.
“I vote to make this a better place to live in,” Dace said. “I’m just being an American citizen and doing the right thing. Also, I wanted to get it out of the way.”
Early voting continues weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to Oct. 23. The hours go from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Oct. 26 and 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 31, 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 1, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 2.
The polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3.
On Tuesday, the Trumbull County Board of Elections had about 100 in-person early voters and about 1,000 mailed absentee requests.
“We’ve been pretty busy for the first day on an odd-year election,” said Stephanie Penrose, the county’s elections board director.
Fewer than 20 people voted in-person Tuesday at the Columbiana County Board of Elections, and there were 319 requests by mail for absentee ballots.
“That’s typical for the first day for an odd-year election,” said Adam Booth, that county’s elections director.