Nick McWilliams reporting – Early voting started this week in the run up to the May 2nd Primary Election.
Local board of elections offices will open for voters casting early ballots. Each office has extended hours during this time that can vary, and can be verified by contacting them during normal business hours.
In Ohio, the early voting period is 21-percent longer than the national average, and provides 199 hours for in-person early voting.
With the passage of House Bill 458, changes have been made to the types of identification that will be accepted in order to vote.
Registered voters must bring a valid form of a photo identification card. The most common is an Ohio driver’s license, and starting on Friday, April 7th, Ohio Bureau of Motor locations will provide state photo IDs, free of charge.
A day of early voting has been eliminated, which is the Monday before Election Day. Those hours have been reallocated to earlier during the voting period.
Additionally, absentee ballot casters should be aware that the window to accept ballots has been shrunk from 10 days to four. The deadline to request absentee has been moved from the Saturday before the election to a week out from Election Day.
For all pertinent election’s information, visit www.voteohio.gov.
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