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The polls are open today from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ohio for voting
YOUNGSTOWN
The time for talking about this election probably isn’t over, but the time for voting ends today.
Voters who have not cast early ballots can go to the polls today from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ohio. It’s from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania.
Early voting in Mahoning County was busy Friday to Monday, but about the same during the final four days of the 2012 presidential election, said Thomas McCabe, deputy director of the county elections board.
Total early in-person votes were 874 on Friday, 750 on Saturday, 548 on Sunday and 681 on Monday.
“We had people waiting 45 minutes to an hour to vote,” McCabe said.
McCabe said 42,593 people made requests to vote early with 39,010 casting ballots as of Monday. Of the 39,010 votes, 12,003 were in person at the board office.
In 2012, 44,331 people in the county voted early, and 42,574 did so in 2008, so the county definitely won’t reach its 2012 number and almost certainly won’t reached the 2008 figure.
Those requesting absentee ballots had to have them postmarked by midnight Monday, and the ballots must arrive at the board of elections by Nov. 18 for the vote to count.
It’s hard to tell how long the wait will be at polling locations today, but McCabe urged people to be patient.
And don’t forget to bring proper identification when voting.
All voters must bring one of these items: a valid Ohio driver’s license; an unexpired photo identification card issued by the state or federal government that includes your name and current address; a military ID; a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government check with your name and current address; and any government document that includes your name and current address.
There will be additional county sheriff’s deputies on standby in case there are election problems, McCabe said.
“We’re prepared for that if it ends up happening, but I don’t see it,” he said. “We didn’t see it materialize during early voting. If it happens [today], we’re ready for it.”
The biggest issue expected today is supporters of local candidates getting closer than 100 feet of the polling locations where politicking is forbidden in the state, McCabe said. The board gets about seven or eight calls about that per election, he added.
If you see voter fraud or intimidation or are the potential victim, the best options are to contact your local board of elections or the Ohio secretary of state’s election call center at 877-767-6446.