When is it too late to request an absentee ballot? Very soon

Voting sticker

Voting sticker

Local election officials say if you request an absentee ballot today, it might still be possible to get a ballot to vote in this year’s primary election. But even then it’s not guaranteed.

Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Jan Kelly said it is taking about three to five days for mail to get delivered each way. So getting a ballot request to the board of elections, getting the ballot mailed back to you and having the ballot back in the mail postmarked by the April 27 deadline is cutting it close.

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“Get (your request) in today or tomorrow,” she said Monday.

If you don’t have a request form in-hand, you can download one and print it out from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. If you don’t have a printer at home, you can hand write a request as long as it contains all the necessary information. There isn’t time to have a request form mailed to you.

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One option to speed up this process includes dropping off your ballot request form at the board of elections office. The Montgomery County has a mailbox in front of its building at 451 W. Third St.

Completed ballots can also be dropped off in person at the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Election Day April 28 before 7:30 p.m.

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In-person voting on Tuesday, April 28 will only occur at boards of elections early voting centers and only be available for people with disabilities who require in-person voting and people who do not have a home mailing address.

“While the legislation sets April 25 as the deadline to send in your vote-by-mail application, waiting until then just doesn’t leave enough time for both mail delivery and the board to process your request,” said Maggie Sheehan, spokeswoman for the Ohio Secretary of State.

“Voters should not wait until the last minute to get their ballot request in – they should request it as soon as possible.”


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