Delays have been caused by an increase in volume and slow mail delivery, said Llyn McCoy, deputy director of the Greene County Board of Elections. In area counties, including Clark, Butler, Montgomery, Greene and Warren, more than 150,000 absentee ballots have been requested already.
McCoy said it’s taking about eight days on average for people to receive their absentee applications by mail. First class mail delivery can take from five to eight days.
“There’s a little bit of delay,” she said. “The post office first class mail isn’t what it used to be. As people call in and talk to us about it, we’re giving people their application number and letting them know where they are in process.”
She said overall, the county has seen an increase in absentee ballots that have been requested. More than 19,000 voters in the county have either requested absentee ballots or completed in-person early voting.
“Absolutely,” she said. “We’re busy, and I think every county is expecting a larger turnout than normal. Absentee voting is getting more popular with every election anyway.”
Brian Sleeth, director of the Warren County Board of Elections, said this is the busiest his office has been in years. Already more than 30,000 people have voted by absentee or in person in Warren County at the board of elections located in Lebanon.
“There haven’t been lines, but it has been steady since early voting started,” Sleeth said.
Sleeth said they tell people to be patient and if they have not received their absentee ballot in eight days, they should call and request another ballot. Sleeth said the unique number ID for the “lost” ballot will be destroyed and a new ballot will be sent.
The Ohio Secretary of State’s office sent absentee requests to every register voter in the state in early October. Each political party also have sent mailers encouraging voters to request absentee ballots.
Sleeth said this has caused confusion for some voters as Warren County has received 1,500 duplicate requests from voters.
But Montgomery County officials say they have had no problems with getting ballots out or getting them back. Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Jan Kelly said about 50,000 absentee ballots have been sent to voters and 20,000 have been returned.
“We have seen great turn around by the post office,” Kelly said.
Butler County officials also said they haven’t had any issues with delays or slow postal service. More voters have chose to cast absentee ballots and vote early in person in the county than in 2012.
Absentee ballot requests in Butler County have surpassed 28,000, according to board officials.
All requests for an absentee ballot have to be requested by noon on Saturday, Nov 5. Mail must be postmarked no later than Nov. 7 and received at the board of elections no later than Nov. 18.
As of Oct. 17, more than 1.2 million absentee ballots had been requested statewide. In 2012, approximately 1.4 million absentee ballots had been requested at the same point in time.
That year, a little less than 1.9 million absentee ballots were cast by mail and through in-person voting.
Staff writer Lynn Hulsey contributed to this report.
WHAT TO KNOW:
• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is at noon Nov. 5.
• The absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 7 and received at the board of elections no later than Nov. 18.
• You can also return your absentee ballot in-person to your county board of elections before the close of the polls at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
• All Ohio voters can track the status of their absentee ballot request by going to myohiovote.com
• If you’re experiencing issues with early or absentee voting, tell the Dayton Daily News about your experience. Email votersguide@coxinc.com or call us at 937-225-2251.
Source: Ohio Secretary of State
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