A total of 140 absentee ballot applications have been received so far by the Highland County Board of Elections for the May 2 primary election, including 73 in-person voters at the election office in Hillsboro.

Steve Witham, election administrator, said Wednesday that a number of precincts are being combined for the May 2 election. Temporary change notices have been sent to the affected voters, said Witham.

“The combining of precincts allows the county to save money by reducing the cost and time required for polling place setup, reducing the number of precinct election officials from 124 down to 66, reducing the time in preparation and testing of voting machines, and reducing the amount of Election Day technical support staff needed,” Witham said in an email.

On the May primary ballot will be an additional 1-mill, 10-year levy sought by the Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) services.

A Miami Trace school district renewal levy appearing on the ballot in a Fairfield East precinct bordering Fayette County will include just two eligible Highland County voters.

On the candidate side, the only contested race on the primary ballot is a Republican contest for Hillsboro City Council, 4th Ward, between Joe Mahan and Jason Grove.

Early in-person voting hours remaining for the primary are:

• Wednesday-Friday, 4/19 thru 4/21, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Monday-Friday, 4/24 thru 4/28, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

• Saturday, 4/29, 8a.m.-4 p.m.

• Sunday, 4/30, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

• Monday, 5/1, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

The last time the board can accept a request for an absentee ballot for the primary to be mailed to a voter is Saturday, April 29 at noon.

Questions can be directed to the election board at 937-393-9961.