COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tuesday marked the first day of early voting in the Buckeye State, and many local officials were taken aback by the long lines wrapped around respective county Board of Elections as people were eager to cast their votes.
But that’s not the only thing to surprise elections officials.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Tuesday that the state has received a record number of absentee ballots: more than 2,150,000, which includes more than 21,500 requests from military and overseas voters.
Over the past week, more than 158,000 Ohioans requested an absentee ballot.
“A record number of Ohioans have requested an absentee ballot and soon they will see that ballot arrive in their mailbox,” said LaRose in the press release. “The clock has started, so don’t wait to return it. Make sure your voice is heard.”
The amount of absentee ballots requested this year is a stark contrast to the 2016 election, in which only 1,091,188 absentee ballots had been requested. That’s more than double.
LaRose and other officials believe the pandemic is to blame as people worry about heading to the polls on Nov. 3.
The line at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
But the coronavirus didn’t stop Ohioans from lining up at their board of elections on the first day of early voting to make sure their voices were heard.
At 8 a.m., the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections already had a line out the door and down the street. Everyone donned masks and X’s were placed on the ground to keep people six-feet apart. The director says he didn’t expect to see a sight like this.
“Not on day one. No. This is something you see more so kind of towards the final week of early in-person voting cycle. Not on day one,” said Tony Perlatti, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. “But we’re happy they’re here. We’ll take it, and we’ll take it every day if they want to keep showing up.”
Residents said they didn’t want to take any chances as the pandemic looms.
“The world has changed so much in what is going on, and I wanted to make sure my vote was counted. This is the way I know it will be so I … got up early and came down here to do so,” said Barbara Wiedemann, a Cuyahoga County resident.
It was a sight seen across the state.
At the Franklin County Board of Elections, the line stretched the entire complex. The machines and individual stations were spread out to comply with social distancing and everyone was wearing a mask.
Voters at the Franklin County Board of Elections
Voters there said they were excited for the opportunity.
“I’m glad people are out voting. Yeah, one way or the other. I’d like more of them to be for my candidate. I don’t know (if they are) but it doesn’t matter. This is just what we do,” said Jane Goldberg, a Groveport resident.
A Franklin County Board of Elections spokesperson said they delivered 237,000 ballots to the post office on Monday, which is a record amount.
They also expect the number of ballots casted Tuesday will exceed what it was in 2016.
The Hamilton County Board of Elections saw more than 700 people cast their ballot within the first few hours of the day.
The line in Hamilton County
Brewster Rhoads, a volunteer, says he believes it’s because there’s a lot more people voting this year than in the last election.
“You’ve got a lot of people voting that don’t normally vote, and so a lot of folks need help about how to vote properly, and they’re looking for information on the candidates, seeking the sample ballots. There’s a lot of passion here,” Rhoads said.
The state begun mailing out absentee ballots statewide Tuesday as well.
If you have any questions about the election, check out our voting guide here.
Reporters Micaela Marshall, Josh Rultenberg and Sheena Elzie contributed to this story.
