As the last day of early voting came to a close in Ohio, more than 10,000 Highland County residents had already participated in the 2020 general election.
As of Sunday, 5,523 Highland County residents had voted in-person and 4,742 had submitted their absentee ballots, according to information provided by the Highland County Board of Elections.
In comparison, a total of 6,507 residents voted early or absentee in the 2016 general election, including those whose absentee ballots were counted after Election Day.
As early voting concluded on Monday, Ohioans’ last day to vote is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Highland County polling locations will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Highland County residents must vote at their polling locations. Find polling locations at lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/highland/pollfinder.aspx.
Those who are in quarantine or actively sick with COVID-19 can vote via curbside voting, Highland County Health Commissioner Jared Warner said in a Monday post to the health department’s Facebook page.
“By all indications this election is going to have a historic turnout,” Warner wrote. “If you are currently in quarantine or are actively sick with COVID-19 and plan to vote tomorrow, please let the poll workers know when you arrive. They will ask that you do curbside voting in order to better protect their poll workers. Curbside voting follows the exact same process as in person voting, and both a Democrat and Republican representative will be present at the car window to make sure that your vote is counted.
“Please, do your part to keep our poll workers healthy. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and if you are waiting in line, give some space to the people around you. Simple steps that we all know now by heart. If you know a poll worker, tell them thank you!”
Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 2 in order to be counted, according to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Community members may also return absentee ballots to the Highland County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Absentee ballots are counted first on Election Day, according to LaRose’s office.
The following are the contested races and issues that Highland County residents can expect on the ballot for the upcoming election:
Contested races
* U.S. Congress 2nd District — Democratic candidate Jaime M. Castle, write-in candidate James J. Condit, and Republican candidate Brad Wenstrup.
* State Rep. 91st District — Democratic candidate Scott M. Dailey and Republican candidate Shane Wilkin.
* Member of State Board of Education 10th District — Mary E. Binegar and Brendan P. Shea.
* Ohio Supreme Court Justice 01/01/2021 — John P. O’Donnell and Sharon L. Kennedy.
* Ohio Supreme Court Justice 01/02/2021 — Jennifer Brunner and Judi French.
* Judge of Ohio Court of Appeals 4th District UTE 02/08/2023 — Stacy Brooks and Kristy Wilkin.
Local issues
* Issue 1 — “An additional tax for the benefit of Penn Township for the purpose of cemetery maintenance at a rate not exceeding 0.5 mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.05 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five years, commencing in 2020, first due in calendar year 2021.”
* Issue 2 — “A renewal of a tax for the benefit of Highland County for the purpose of providing sufficient funds to carry out the health programs of the Highland County Board of Health at a rate not exceeding 0.5 mills for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.05 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for five years, commencing in 2020, first due in calendar year 2021.”
Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.
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