Countdown to Election Day

ZANESVILLE, OH – It’s hard to believe but Election Day is a short 11 weeks away.

As the Tuesday, November 5th election draws closer there are some other important dates to keep in mind.

Cheryl West, an Election Specialist with the Muskingum County Board of Elections, says voters who need to update their information or are registering to vote for the very first time have until 9PM on October 7th to get their information together.

She also says if you plan to vote by mail, the mail in ballots will begin to go to those who have submitted their absentee ballot starting on October 8th.

“If you need to update your address with us if you’ve moved and forgot to tell us or that kind of thing,” West explained. “Or, if you’ve had a name change, or if you’re new to the area and you’ve not registered at all, that would need to be done by 9PM on October the 7th. That gives us time, even though that is a little less than a month before the election, that gives us time to get everything updated and ready to go so you’re all current in our voter registration system.”

West says if you plan to vote in person, you’ll need to bring a valid, non-expired, form of identification such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport.

She says the only form of identification they will not accept is the new Ohio Mobile ID.

“The new Ohio Mobile ID app, I know that’s been in the news, that will not work for voting,” West said. “It hasn’t been approved yet, and from my understanding, it’s not available for all phones, I think it’s just Apple products I think. It’s just not ready for that yet.”

There is also a need for election workers for Election Day. West says in order to be an election worker you must be a resident of Muskingum County and be registered to vote.

For more information about voting or becoming an election day worker, you can head to the Board of Elections website.