Voters experiencing delays in absentee ballot delivery

Efforts by hackers to hack into elections systems and the talk of voter fraud has election officials and voters on edge as the Nov. 8 election nears.

The most recent concern has been the delivery of absentee ballots to Ohio voters once they request one. Local voters have complained about their ballots either not showing up in the mail or being delivered later than expected.

Llyn McCoy, deputy director of the Greene County Board of Elections, said delays have been caused by an increase in volume and slow mail delivery.

First class mail delivery can take from five to eight days. McCoy said it’s taking about eight days on average for people to receive their absentee applications.

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“There’s a little bit of delay,” she said. “The post office first class mail isn’t what it used to be. As people call in and talk to us about it, we’re giving people their application number and letting them know where they are in process.”

She said overall, the county has seen an increase in absentee ballots that have been requested. More than 19,000 voters in the county have either requested absentee ballots or completed in-person early voting.

“Absolutely,” she said. “We’re busy, and I think every county is expecting a larger turnout than normal. Absentee voting is getting more popular with every election anyway.”

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Brian Sleeth, director of the Warren County Board of Elections, said this is the busiest his office has been in years. Already more than 30,000 people have voted by absentee or in person in Warren County at the board of elections located in Lebanon.

“There haven’t been lines, but it has been steady since early voting started,” Sleeth said.

Sleeth said they tell people to be patient and if they have not received their absentee ballot in eight days, they should call and request another ballot. Sleeth said the unique number ID for the “lost” ballot will be destroyed and a new ballot will be sent.

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office sent absentee requests to every register voter in the state in early October. Each political party also have sent mailers encouraging voters to request absentee ballots.

Sleeth said this has caused confusion for some voters as Warren County has received 1,500 duplicate requests from voters.

All requests for an absentee ballot have to be requested by noon on Saturday, Nov 5. The ballot sent by mail has to be post marked by midnight on Monday, Nov. 7.

All Ohio voters can track the status of their absentee ballot request by going to myohiovote.com.

The state also has created a video where people learn about the safety of voting in Ohio. It can be found here.

If you’re experiencing issues with early or absentee voting, tell us about your experience. Email votersguide@coxinc.com or call us at 937-225-2251.

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