Nearly 195,000 Ohioans cast in-person early ballots in the first week of voting, almost four times the 50,368 who did so in 2022.

Franklin County, home to Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff, is not keeping up. Franklin County has reached a slightly smaller share of its 2022 early-vote total than the state overall, according to Ohio Secretary of State data reported by the Ohio Capital Journal on Thursday, Oct. 15. Statewide, counties have already tallied about a third of the total in-person early vote they saw in the entire 2022 election.

The local pace is still strong. About 3,000 voters a day have been walking into the Franklin County Early Voting Center on Morse Road, triple the roughly 1,000-per-day pace in 2022, ABC 6 reported on Monday, Oct. 12. Through that date, 12,500 Franklin County voters had cast early ballots.

Franklin County Board of Elections Director Antone White said he expects 55% to 60% turnout on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Absentee requests drop sharply

While in-person voting has soared, absentee ballot requests have fallen statewide. Through the first week, 631,079 voters had requested a mail ballot, down from 871,041 at the same point in 2022.

University of Akron political scientist David Cohen told the Ohio Capital Journal the shift is "pretty easily explainable." He pointed to the elimination of Ohio's grace period for late-arriving absentee ballots and broader distrust of mail-in voting.

"I think there are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle now that don't actually trust (voting by mail)," Cohen said, "and would prefer to just do it in person to ensure that their votes count."

Ohio law now requires absentee ballots to arrive at the Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Previously, voters had four days after the election to return a ballot, according to White.

What's on the ballot locally

Upper Arlington voters face two significant ballot measures on Nov. 3. Issue 34 would renew and increase a property tax levy funding police and fire pension benefits. The levy would rise from 0.89 mills to 1.13 mills, costing homeowners roughly $26 per $100,000 of home value before tax credits, according to NBC4.

Issue 7, a combined $273.5 million bond issue and 4.9-mill operating levy for Upper Arlington Schools, would cost an estimated $1,250 per year for a $500,000 home, according to the district's website.

How to vote early

Early in-person voting continues at the Franklin County Board of Elections, 1700 Morse Road, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 23. Saturday hours open Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours beginning Monday, Oct. 26.

Absentee ballot applications must be received by the board of elections by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. Voters can check their registration, view a sample ballot and find their polling location at vote.franklincountyohio.gov.