Ohio Secretary of State Begins Mailing Absentee Ballot Applications Ahead of November Election

ZANESVILLE, OH – If you checked your mailbox in the last few days, you may have seen an absentee ballot application.

The Ohio Secretary of State began to send out the first round of absentee ballot applications this week.

Richard Malik, an Election Specialist with the Muskingum County Board of Elections, said you may even receive more ballot applications in the mail as the election draws closer.

He advised you will only need to fill out one application, per registered voter, and send it back, if you plan to vote by mail.

“The Secretary of State only mails out absentee applications during Presidential Elections, so every four years,” Malik said. “But there’s also political action committees and groups that send their own out to make sure that information gets out to them and they want people to vote.”

Malik said the Board of Elections will begin to mail out ballots starting on October 8th.

He said when mailing in your ballot, make sure to give the Postal Service 5 to 7 business days to get it back to the Board of Elections Office.

Malik also said that you’ll be able to track your application and ballot status after you send them in.

“You can track your absentee application through our website, Muskingum County Board of Elections at boe.ohio.gov/muskingum,” Malik said. “Then you’re going to click on the absentee information block. You can track your ballot by heading to our website, at the same location, and if you do not receive your ballot by October 22nd you can call our office”

For more information about absentee applications and voting you can head to the Muskingum County Board of Elections website.