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Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted
More than
49,000 absentee votes have been cast
Supplemental mailing goes out this week to more than 215,000 additional
voters.
COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted today announced that with
just under three weeks to go before the 2014 General Election, nearly
741,000 Ohioans have already cast and/or requested an absentee ballot
for the November 4th General Election.
Based on an informal survey of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections, as
of Friday, October 10, 2014:
• 722,498 voters have requested absentee ballots to vote by mail. Of
those, 33,372 absentee ballots by mail have been cast.
• 15,571 Ohioans have cast an absentee ballot in person at the board of
elections or designated early vote center.
• 2,421 military and overseas voters have requested ballots. Of those,
363 military and overseas ballots have been cast.
Secretary Husted also noted that the second wave of absentee ballot
applications will drop this week and include the more than 215,000
voters who registered to vote or updated their information after August
1st. When combined with the initial mailing that went out around Labor
Day, 6.58 million Ohio voters are receiving absentee ballot
applications in the mail for the 2014 General Election. The cost for
this year’s mailing, which is paid for with existing Help America Vote
Act funds, is less than $1 million. In 2012, the statewide mailing cost
$1.5 million. Secretary Husted achieved this savings by securing a
lower postal rate, resulting in a 30 percent savings per piece mailed.
What’s on the Ballot
In the 2014 General Election, Ohioans will vote
for candidates for a number of statewide and local offices including
Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor,
Ohio Supreme Court, Congress, General Assembly, State Board of
Education, Court of Appeals and county offices. A list of statewide
candidates is available here. For a list of all other candidates
running, contact the county boards of elections.
In addition to candidates appearing on the ballot, voters will decide
the outcome of 1,675 local issues, including school and local tax
levies, bond issues and charter amendments. A complete list of local
issues is available online here. This includes a recently added charter
amendment for the City of Powell in Delaware County.
In-Person Absentee Voting
Secretary Husted established uniform hours for in-person absentee
voting following a recent court ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Directive 2014-30 ensures all voters have fair and equal access to the
ballot during the 2014 elections and can vote over the course of four
weeks, including two Saturdays and a Sunday.
Absentee Voting by Mail
Boards began mailing absentee ballots at the
start of the early voting period to those who have requested them.
Voters must complete, sign and seal their voted ballots, taking care to
provide the required information, including proper identification.
Voted ballots must be postmarked the day before Election Day and
received no later than the 10th day after the election (November 14,
2014). Absentee ballots may also be delivered in person to boards of
elections no later than the close of the polls on Election Day. They
may not be returned at polling locations.
Voters have until Saturday, November 1st at noon to request an absentee
ballot by mail, though they should do it as soon as possible to allow
for plenty of time to receive, complete and return their ballot. In
addition to the statewide mailing, voters can also get an absentee
ballot by contacting their county board of elections for more
information, or by downloading an absentee ballot request form at
MyOhioVote.com.
Military & Overseas Voting
County Boards of Elections began mailing absentee ballots to registered
military and overseas voters who have requested a ballot on Saturday,
September 20th, 45 days ahead of the election. Military and overseas
voters who have not yet submitted a request for an absentee ballot may
visit OhioMilitaryVotes.com to download an application and/or contact
their county board of elections. Requests must be received by county
boards of elections no later than noon on November 1, 2014, but should
be sent as soon as possible to allow adequate time for processing,
mailing and the return of the voted ballots.
Election Day Voting
Polls are open 6:30 am to 7:30 pm on Election Day. Voters choosing to
head to the polls on Election Day need to remember to bring the proper
form of ID and know their polling place and precinct. Voters can check
their polling place and precinct and get other important voting
information by visiting MyOhioVote.com.
Find Your Polling Place
Not sure where to vote? Voters can easily find their polling location
online at MyOhioVote.com. The system is populated with information from
county boards of elections. It is important to note that boards may
make a last minute change to a person’s polling place that would not be
reflected online, but voters would be notified by mail. Questions about
information contained in the online system should be directed to the
county boards of elections.
Get Elections Updates and Ohio’s Virtual Voting Sticker
Ohio voters are encouraged to link with “OhioSOSHusted” on Facebook and
Twitter to get elections information and updates throughout the
year. Here they can also get a virtual voting sticker badge to
let their friends and followers know they’ve participated in the
election, whether they chose to cast their ballots by mail or in
person. Facebook users simply need to “like” Ohio Secretary of State
Jon Husted’s official Facebook page to “wear” a virtual sticker on
their wall. Twitter users may share their voting badge by visiting the
Secretary of State’s website.
Vote in Honor of a Veteran
With Vote in Honor of a Veteran, voters may also demonstrate the pride
they feel for a veteran by dedicating their vote to them. By
participating in this program Ohioans help raise awareness about the
importance of voting and highlight the powerful bond between our
veterans and democracy. For more information on how to participate in
this program visit OhioMilitaryVotes.com
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