With less than a week until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Clinton County is seeing strong early voting participation with 6,330 ballots returned so far, including both absentee and early in-person voting.
As of Oct. 28, information pulled from the Ohio Secretary of State’s absentee and early voting data dashboard shows a 71% overall ballot return rate for Clinton County.
“This number represents the percentage of people who requested ballots by mail and who have returned those ballots. The percentage should rise as we continue to receive absentee ballots in by mail,” said Andrea Tacoronte, director of the Clinton County Board of Elections.
So far, a total of 4,484 Clinton County residents have cast their ballots early in person at the Clinton County Board of Elections, located at 111 S. Nelson Ave., Suite 4, Wilmington. An additional 2,605 voters have requested an absentee ballot with 1,846 of those ballots completed and returned.
There are 27,898 registered voters in Clinton County, according to the absentee and early voting data dashboard.
“Based on current trends, we estimate up to an additional 2,000 people could take advantage of the Early Vote Center during the final week of early voting. This would bring our early in-person voter total to nearly 7,000 for the 2024 general election,” said Tacoronte. “We are excited to see so much enthusiasm for the democratic process in our county.”
According to the director, the 2020 presidential election saw the highest early voting turnout in Clinton County. More than 12,500 people chose absentee voting, with 58% voting at the board’s Early Voting Center. That spike in turnout was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as states prioritized absentee and mail-in voting to reduce crowding at polling places and limit exposure to the disease.
“The trend does seem to be toward more in-person early voting rather than early by mail,” said Tacoronte.
For the 2016 presidential election, only 44% of absentee voters cast their ballots in person at the Early Voting Center. However, in the 2023 general election and the March primary, nearly 80% of absentee voters opted for in-person early voting.
“People like to use the Early Vote Center because it is reliable and secure, and it gives them the flexibility to vote around their busy schedules,” said Tacoronte.
Residents can still cast their votes in person at the Clinton County Board of Elections during the following days:
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3: 1-5 p.m.
The Clinton County Board of Elections has seen an uptick in residents voting during lunchtime and right after work, typically around 4 p.m. Voters hoping to avoid lines may find shorter wait times earlier in the morning or during mid-afternoon hours.
The director stated that early voting in Clinton County has gone smoothly this year, and no significant issues have been reported. “It is important to bring a current valid Ohio ID with you to vote,” Tacoronte said. “If you have concerns your registration information might not be up to date, we suggest you stop into our office to verify our records before standing in line at the Early Vote Center.”
Voters who want to return their absentee ballot by U.S. Mail must have it postmarked no later than Nov. 4 – the day before Election Day – and received by the Clinton County Board of Elections by Nov. 9.
Voters can also drop off their absentee ballot at the board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Due to the timeframe, voters are now unable to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to them. According to the Clinton County Board of Elections, requests for absentee ballots needed to be received by the close of business seven days before Election Day, which was Oct. 29.
Those planning to vote on Election Day can use the Polling Place Lookup feature on the Clinton County Board of Elections website to find their designated polling locations. It only takes a few seconds to check; confirming where to vote is helpful since polling locations can sometimes change from one election to the next.
Clinton County saw voter turnout exceed 70% on Election Day for the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. “Even though our early vote totals are quite high, we suspect the polls will also be quite busy on Election Day,” said Tacoronte.
Voters are encouraged to dress for the weather in case the lines extend outside the polling location.
“We have a wonderful group of poll workers who will be ready to help voters as they arrive and will strive to make the voting experience as smooth as possible,” said Tacoronte.
Be sure to bring a valid unexpired Ohio ID to the polls. Acceptable forms of identification include:
- Ohio driver’s license or State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV (this is the document you receive when you get or renew your ID until you receive your new ID in the mail)
- U.S. passport or U.S. passport card
- U.S. military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
Voters who have changed their name but haven’t updated their voter registration should bring documentation of the change, such as court papers or a marriage certificate.
Tacoronte noted that there are times when a voter may have to use a provisional ballot.
“We ask a voter to vote provisionally if there is something unusual about their voting situation,” she said.
This typically occurs when a voter’s registration information doesn’t match their current name or address; if they forget their ID or their ID is expired, or if they asked for an absentee ballot but decide to vote at the polling location instead.
“We will ask the voter to complete a form, their voted ballot is placed in a secure envelope, and it is reviewed after all the ballots are returned,” said Tacoronte. “It is important for the board of elections to look at these ballots to make sure every person who is qualified to vote gets to do so.”
The director recommends that if a voter has requested or received an absentee ballot but chooses to vote in person, they should visit the Early Vote Center. This allows officials to void the original ballot and issue a new one.
“If they wait to vote on Election Day at their polling location, they will be required to vote provisionally. Early Vote Center ballots are counted on election night after the polls close. All provisional ballots must go through a four-day cure period and are processed the week after the election,” she said.
For more information about early voting, visit the Clinton County Board of Elections at boe.ohio.gov/clinton/. Election Day is Nov. 5 with polls open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
