By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Media Relations Coordinator
Absentee and early in-person voting for the Nov. 5 Presidential General Election is underway at the Seneca County Board of Elections (BOE). Absentee voting can be completed by mail or in person.
Absentee Voting by Mail
To receive an absentee ballot by mail, the voter must first submit a completed absentee application to the BOE. The BOE cannot accept emails or phone calls for ballot requests but must receive an original paper application before it can send a ballot. According to Ohio law, the only acceptable application form is Form 11-A.
Absentee applications must be received at the BOE office by mail or drop box, or they can be brought into the office. Applications cannot be accepted by fax, scan or email. Absentee applications for the Nov. 5 General Election must be submitted to the Seneca County Board of Elections by Oct. 25. Ohio does not have a permanent absentee list. An application must be requested for every election.
Many times, during a Presidential Election, voters receive multiple applications in the mail. These can come from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office, political parties, candidates or voter interest groups. The BOE cannot send applications unless a voter specifically requests one from the Seneca County Board of Elections. If the BOE receives more than one application from a voter, that application will be marked as a duplicate. Absentee applications can be printed off at www.boe.ohio.gov/seneca/.
Absentee ballots that are mailed in must be postmarked by Nov. 4, the day before the election. Absentee ballots that are physically dropped off must be taken to the BOE office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. They cannot be accepted at polling locations.
Early In-Person Voting
The BOE office is the only location for early in-person voting. Anyone wishing to vote early, in person at the BOE office must provide a valid photo ID. Acceptable IDs include an Ohio driver’s license, State of Ohio ID card, Ohio Interim Documentation form issued by the Ohio BMV, U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, U.S. military ID card, Ohio National Guard ID card or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.
All photo IDs must have the following information: an expiration date that has not passed, a photograph of the voter, and the voter’s name, which must substantially conform to the voter’s name as it appears in the poll list or in the pollbook.
An unexpired Ohio Driver License, State ID Card, or Interim Documentation with your former address is an acceptable form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook.
The Seneca County Board of Elections respectfully requests that voters adhere to the following when voting:
- NO electioneering – If you are wearing a pin, hat, sticker, shirt or anything supporting or against a candidate or party please remove or cover it up. Electioneering includes expressing support or opposition to any candidate or political party, or expressing approval or disapproval of a public question in any manner that could reasonably be expected to convey that support or opposition to another individual. It also includes wearing or displaying an article of clothing, sign, button or placard which states the name of a political party or includes the name or likeness of any currently elected official
- PLEASE have your I.D. ready.
- PLEASE silence your cell phones and do not answer your phone while inside the Board of Elections.
- NO cameras, video or photos.
- No concealed carry weapons permitted.
If you use hand sanitizer prior to voting be sure your hands are dry before taking your ballot card. If the ballot card gets wet with sanitizer it will make it unreadable and you will need to get another ballot and go through the process all over.
Important Upcoming Dates
Important dates to note regarding the Nov. 5 General Election are:
The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 9 p.m. The last day the BOE can accept Absentee Applications is Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 8:30 p.m. The last day to vote early at the BOE office is Sunday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m.
Election Day voters must vote at their polling locations, not the BOE office.
The Seneca County Board of Elections office is at 71 S. Washington St., Suite 1101, in Tiffin. For more information, call 419-447-4424 or visit www.boe.ohio.gov/seneca/.