UPDATE: Early Voting Begins in Ohio

Early voting for the November election began in Muskingum County Monday.

Over the next month, you have the chance to vote absentee, in-person or by mail. Voting by mail gives all people, including those with disabilities, the opportunity to vote without having to travel to the their specific polling location. For those who wish to vote early in-person, you can stop by the Muskingum County Board of Elections, Monday through Friday, to cast your vote.

“If they want to come down early, they can come down, come in the doors, and go to our voting room over here, and vote on the machines,” said Board of Elections Director, Timothy Thompson. “The hours are from 8 until 5, and it will be that way through the next three weeks, the last week it will be from 8 until 7.”

If you decide to vote early, the Board of Elections must receive your voted ballot, by mail or in person, by 7:30 p.m. on election day. Thompson said early voting started out slow and steady, but anticipates seeing an influx of voters as election day nears.

“People vote early because very often they may not be at home on election day, they may go to Florida or go on vacation, or there’s sickness or illness and they can’t make it to the polls, so we can mail them an absentee ballot application, they can fill that out and send it back to us, and we’ll mail them a ballot,” Thompson said.

The final day to vote early at the Board of Elections is November 2, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.