Line Forms on First Day of Early Voting in Zanesville

ZANESVILLE, Ohio-The state of Ohio started in person early voting today. 

The Muskingum County board of elections had a long line of early voters throughout the early morning. Election specialist Cheryl West has instruction on how to vote early. 

“When you come you may have to wait in line. We have social distance markings out on the sidewalk and inside the office. People need to wear a mask and they need to bring their driver’s license. The lines have been going very smoothly so the wait hasn’t been too long, but we do expect lines everyday between now and November 2nd, when early voting ends. Of course traditional voting day is November 3rd.”

The process of scanning a filled ballot takes about twenty seconds and votes are counted on November 3rd. There are a multitude of benefits to voting early.

“If you’re working and election day is not convenient for your work schedule there’s some flexibility because we have extended hours in the evenings and on the weekends so that allows people that have out of town jobs to vote at their convenience. Some people have health issues, some people are going out of state, so it’s just a convenience kind of thing.”

The Muskingum County board of elections is located on Market Street in downtown Zanesville and opens at eight am.