CLARK COUNTY — More than 8,200 voters in Clark County have cast early ballots as of noon Monday, reflecting a major surge in turnout ahead of Election Day.
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Voters reported casting their ballots early to ensure their voices are heard and to avoid potential delays on Tuesday.
According to the Secretary of State’s office and local officials, early voting in Clark County is up 200% from the 2022 midterm election.
Some of those early votes have been cast in person at the Clark County Board of Elections office in Springfield.
Jason Baker, director of the Clark County Board of Elections, said turnout has kept election workers active.
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“We have been busy,” Baker said. “I didn’t expect it to be at the level that it is at now, but we welcome it. It’s nice to be busy,” Baker said.
Ohio’s U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races are drawing national attention, which election watchers view as a key driver of voter participation.
Local resident Diana Boyd makes it a point to vote early in every election to ensure her ballot is cast despite a busy schedule.
“I get in there as early as I can get it done so that I don’t forget it or whatever, but life’s busy all the time,” Boyd said.
She noted that turnout appears strong across the region.
“I didn’t think there would be this big of a turnout, but across the state, we’ve heard that there’s a lot of people voting,” Boyd said. “I think they just wanted to make sure they get the right people in so that we can get some things done because there’s just the way things are going right now.”
Other voters echoed similar feelings regarding convenience and turnout.
Mary Dunn voted Monday afternoon after previously encountering long lines.
“I came last week and it was packed. I couldn’t; there was no way I was waiting that long,” Dunn said. She explained that voting ahead of Election Day fits better into her schedule.
Dunn encouraged fellow citizens to cast their ballots.
“I think it’s part of our responsibility to guarantee that our government is going to be run the way we think it should be run by the people we think we should be.”
In-person early voting continues daily at board of elections offices across Ohio through Sunday.
Voters with absentee ballots must ensure they drop them off at their county board of elections before polls close on Tuesday night.