Early voting turnout for Nov. 2 election in Butler County outpacing 2019 election

Currently little to no wait, but lines expected to get longer as Election Day nears, official says.

Early voting in Butler County for the Nov. 2 general election is quickly outpacing the votes cast before Election Day two years ago, according to county election officials.

But the numbers are still low enough that anyone who wants to cast a ballot this week at the elections office on Princeton Road in Hamilton, won’t have to wait. But that can’t be said as Election Day grows nearer.

“Today, in-person voting is slow, so voters who have not made a plan to vote yet can stop in and vote with no line,” said Butler County Deputy Director Eric Corbin. “We do expect the lines in early voting to get longer as we get closer to Election Day.”

Corbin said compared to the 2019 election, this year’s election is experiencing a 90% increase in mail-in ballots and a 13% increase in voting at the board of elections.

Election officials have indicated it will be difficult to determine at this time this year’s turnout for the Nov. 2 general election. Voter turnout in odd-year elections is driven by whether there are any statewide issues on the ballot. This year, as well as two years ago, voters did not have any statewide issues to decide. But early voting and voting by mail experienced record highs in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and people are already participating at a higher rate than in 2019, which saw a 29.9% voter turnout.

And with no mask mandates, Corbin said that’s another variable that will make it difficult to forecast how many of Butler County’s more than 255,000 registered voters will turn out to vote in this election, Corbin said.

As of Monday, there have been 2,569 vote-by-mail ballots issued with 297 of those already returned. Two years ago, at two weeks into the election, there were 1,358 ballots issued with 288 returned. Through the entire 14th day of early voting in 2019, 792 people voted at the elections office, and as of noon Monday, 895 voted in this fall’s election.

“It seems many voters tried voting by mail in 2020 due to the pandemic and found out how convenient it is,” he said.

Voters during early voting and on Election Day will decide village and city council, township office, and school board races, and pocketbook issues.

Voters have until noon on Oct. 30 to request an absentee ballot to be mailed, and any vote-by-mail ballot received through the post office must be postmarked by Nov. 1. Any vote-by-mail ballot can be hand-delivered to the Butler County Board of Elections until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.


WAYS TO VOTE

Vote by mail: Visit the elections.bcohio.gov to fill out then print an absentee ballot request form. All requests must be received by the Board of Elections by noon Oct. 30. Mailed absentee ballots may be returned by mail and must be postmarked by Nov. 1. They may be hand-delivered up until 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Butler County Board of Elections, 1802 Princeton Road, Hamilton.

In-office voting: In-office voting at the Board of Elections is every weekday through Nov. 1, and on Saturday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Oct. 31.

Election Day voting: Election Day voting is from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 2.

Check your polling location: If you aren’t sure where you vote on Election Day, check it at elections.bcohio.gov.

Are you registered?: The voter registration deadline has passed, but you can check your registration status at elections.bcohio.gov.

SOURCE: Butler County Board of Elections

EARLY VOTING HOURS

Now through Oct. 22: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Oct. 25-29: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Oct. 30: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Oct. 31: 1-5 p.m.

Nov. 1: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

SOURCE: Ohio Secretary of State

About the Author