Officials anticipate voter turnout for the Nov. 5 election similar to recent presidential elections. According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, Ohio turnout went from 70% of registered voters in 2012, to 71% in 2016, and 74% in 2020.
The 2020 general election had high turnout despite being held during the COVID-19 pandemic, subject to extensive social distancing regulations.
“We saw a lot more absentee ballots coming in that year,” said Montgomery County Board of Elections Director Jeff Rezabek during a Friday media event at the BOE office in downtown Dayton.
Rezabek’s office hosted officials from seven other southwest Ohio boards of elections on Friday, including Miami, Shelby, Greene, Warren, Butler, and Preble counties.
Warren County BOE Director Brian Sleeth said his office is also noticing a shift, with less absentee ballot requests coming in.
“Our vote by mail is down significantly from 2020, which is hard to compare because of COVID, but with our numbers down 50%, there has to be more to it,” Sleeth said, noting he feels there’s been a big shift in people choosing to vote early versus by mail. “I don’t expect our turnout to be any higher than the last presidential election — we had almost 83% — but we expect our office to be busy.”
Voter ID law a big deal
Officials addressed changes to voter ID laws which have been implemented since the last presidential election, as well as controversial changes this year to rules surrounding use of drop boxes to return absentee ballots.
A valid, unexpired ID with a clear photo and name as it appears on the poll list is required for in-person voting. This may include a traditional Ohio driver’s license, a U.S. passport or passport card, a State of Ohio ID, an interim ID form issued by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a U.S. military ID card, an Ohio National Guard ID card, or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.
Forms of identification that will not be accepted include out-of-state driver’s licenses and Social Security cards, as well as bank statements, government checks, paychecks, utility bills and more. Ohio’s new mobile ID will also not be accepted at voting locations.
“We’re going to run into a lot more voters who may only vote every four years and who have not participated with the new ID requirements,” Rezabek said.
Those who show up to the polls with an invalid form of ID during early voting hours will be redirected to the county’s BMV to update their ID, Rezabek said.
“If it happens to be election day, you’ll be processed as a provisional voter, which means you’ll have four days to go to your local BOE with your valid ID to cure your ballot,” he said.
Drop-box controversy
Also new this election are more stringent rules for ballot drop-off, as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose in August ordered that drop boxes only be used for a person delivering his or her own ballot.
According to a recent Dayton Daily News report, the state election office stipulates that people dropping off absentee ballots for others must go into the board of elections office to hand in the ballots and sign a form attesting they are following the law.
However on Friday, Rezabek said his office plans to allow individuals to drop off the ballot of a near relative or disabled person via the drop box on the BOE grounds by providing attestation forms at the ballot box.
“We’re going to try to accommodate the voter (by leaving) attestation forms out there, as well as an envelope for them to put it in,” he said.
Rezabek said the Montgomery County BOE is still seeking 150 Republican poll workers to ensure full bipartisan coverage on election day.
For any questions or concerns regarding election day, voters are encouraged to contact their local board of elections directly or visit the office website. In Montgomery County, that’s www.montgomery.boe.ohio.gov.
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