More than 12,000 Franklin County mail-in ballots have not been returned ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Hilliard-area voters still holding absentee ballots face a hard deadline: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Under Ohio law, changed by Senate Bill 293, mail-in ballots must be received by the Franklin County Board of Elections by that time. A ballot postmarked by Election Day but received after the deadline will not be counted, according to the board's voter information guide.
Franklin County election officials urged voters not to put outstanding ballots in the mail. Instead, voters should drop them off at the board's office at 1700 Morse Road in Columbus, 10TV reported. The board said voters can use a drive-up ballot drop-off tent at the Morse Road location without leaving their vehicle. A secure drop box at the site is checked daily by a bipartisan team and kept under 24-hour video surveillance, according to the board's absentee voting page.
The numbers
The board reported that 82,928 Franklin County voters requested absentee mail ballots. As of Sunday, Nov. 1, only 70,729 had been returned. That leaves roughly 12,200 ballots still outstanding.
Meanwhile, 93,166 voters cast ballots in person at the Franklin County Early Vote Center during the early voting period, which ended at 5 p.m. Nov. 1. Lines wrapped around the Board of Elections on the final day, with some voters waiting up to two hours.
Franklin County Board of Elections Director Antone White said during the early voting period that the operation was processing voters efficiently. "We're voting about 600 people an hour, so the process is very efficient," White said, as reported by 10TV on Oct. 27.
Check your polling location
The board said 54,645 registered voters received notifications in October that their assigned polling location changed for the Nov. 3 election. Voters should confirm their assignment even if they have voted at the same place before.
The Morse Road office will not serve as an Election Day polling location on Tuesday.
Voters can check their assigned location on the Franklin County Board of Elections website or call 614-525-3100.
What to bring
Ohio voters must present a valid photo ID. Accepted forms include an Ohio driver's license or state ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, or a military dependent ID, U.S. military ID cards, Ohio BMV interim identification forms, Ohio National Guard ID or Department of Veterans Affairs ID. The ID must show the voter's name and photo and must not be expired.
Voters who requested an absentee ballot but did not return it can still vote at their assigned polling location on Tuesday. They will be required to cast a provisional ballot.
Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Voters in line by 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
