State And Regional

State releases early voting numbers for August primary

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s Aug. 2 Primary Election is less than three weeks away and early voting is underway.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that over 44,000 absentee ballots have been requested by-mail or in-person for the state legislative and executive committee races and at least 6,200 votes have been cast statewide in those same races, according to a news release Wednesday.

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The data collected by Ohio Secretary of State’s Office was by an informal survey of the state’s 88 county boards of elections from the start of early voting on July 6 through July 8, the release said.

There were over 28,000 Democratic ballots requested and at least 16,000 Republican ballots requested. At least 3,100 early in person ballots were cast by Democrats with over 2,500 cast by Republicans. More than 3,400 Democratic ballots were returned and submitted for counting while just under 2,800 Republicans returned early ballots, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.

“Despite the August 2nd primary not including any marquee statewide races, we’re seeing stronger turnover than expected across Ohio,” LaRose said.

Ohio voters will find the following races on their August 2 primary ballot:

  • Ohio House of Representatives
  • Ohio Senate
  • Democrat/Republican State Central Committee
  • Local issues and measures impacting their communities

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“Every election is important, and that is why it’s all the more imperative that we encourage our friends, neighbors, and colleagues to participate in these decisions that will significantly shape our state’s future.”

Ohio voters will enjoy nearly 200 hours of early voting time leading up to the August 2 primary, the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office said. Ohio is one of 18 states that allows voting on a Saturday and one of just six states allows early voting on Sunday. Ohio’s early voting period is 21% longer than the national average.

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