A larger number of Ohio voters have requested absentee ballots for the upcoming midterm election, compared to previous elections. But those voters appear to be taking longer to consider which candidates to support. Fewer absentee ballots have been returned, compared to the same time period in 2014.
Breaking Down the Early Voting Numbers
Here’s how the numbers break down, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. The stats were made available on October 16:
• As of October 12, an estimated 910,982 voters in Ohio had requested absentee ballots through the mail. But only 42,470 of those ballots have been returned. That’s less than 5 percent.
• 7,914 military members and U.S. citizens living overseas have requested absentee ballots. 1,176 have filled out and returned those ballots.
• Registered voters can also vote early in-person at their county board of elections office. 34,252 people statewide have cast ballots this way as of October 12.
By comparison, approximately 741,000 registered voters had requested absentee ballots by this point during the 2014 midterm elections. More than 49,000 of those had been cast by this point. That’s roughly 7 percent of the total.
Registered voters have until until November 3 to request an absentee ballot. If you choose to mail it in, it must be postmarked by November 5 to be counted. You can also turn in the absentee ballot in-person to the county board of elections on November 6 until the polls close at 7:30 p.m.
For information about how to vote early, click here.
The Number of Registered Voters in Ohio is Near Its Historic Peak
The high number of absentee ballot requests is likely due in part to increased political awareness. The current number of registered voters in Ohio is 8,025,232. That is the highest it has been since 2010.
The state has had more than 8 million registered voters just four times within the past 40 years. The previous times were in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2008, the year President Obama was elected to his firm term, total voter turnout was 69.97 percent. Nationwide, young voters showed up at the polls in record numbers. According to census data, 51.1 percent of eligible voters ages 18-29 cast ballots. 66 percent of them supported President Obama.
Skip ahead to 2010: That was a “red wave” year, when Republicans regained control of the House and picked up several seats in the Senate. Voter turnout always tends to be significantly lower for midterms compared to presidential elections, and 2010 was no exception. In Ohio, turnout dropped 20 percentage points from 2008, to just 49.22 percent.
The full chart, which compares voter registration versus voter turnout in Ohio, is embedded above. You can also view it here.
Early and Absentee Voting By County in Ohio
Here is the county-by-county Ohio early voting listing, as of October 10. The first number for each county is the number of absentee ballots requested either by mail or in-person. The second number is the total number of ballots received by the Secretary of State’s office.
TOTAL
910,982
42,470
ADAMS COUNTY
1,573
127
ALLEN COUNTY
5,472
372
ASHLAND COUNTY
2,967
322
ASHTABULA COUNTY
6,048
246
ATHENS COUNTY
3,573
274
AUGLAIZE COUNTY
2,775
156
BELMONT COUNTY
8,517
339
BROWN COUNTY
2,287
156
BUTLER COUNTY
23,496
1,756
CARROLL COUNTY
1,986
80
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
2,354
195
CLARK COUNTY
7,555
615
CLERMONT COUNTY
16,557
590
CLINTON COUNTY
2,594
198
COLUMBIANA COUNTY
5,321
377
COSHOCTON COUNTY
2,629
163
CRAWFORD COUNTY
2,655
147
CUYAHOGA COUNTY
143,051
2,647
DARKE COUNTY
2,501
198
DEFIANCE COUNTY
1,964
239
DELAWARE COUNTY
18,536
845
ERIE COUNTY
5,678
331
FAIRFIELD COUNTY
13,649
634
FAYETTE COUNTY
1,200
145
FRANKLIN COUNTY
106,857
3,520
FULTON COUNTY
2,111
388
GALLIA COUNTY
1,575
87
GEAUGA COUNTY
10,026
665
GREENE COUNTY
13,239
942
GUERNSEY COUNTY
2,368
106
HAMILTON COUNTY
63,526
2,630
HANCOCK COUNTY
3,814
408
HARDIN COUNTY
1,427
121
HARRISON COUNTY
1,184
74
HENRY COUNTY
1,149
167
HIGHLAND COUNTY
2,167
278
HOCKING COUNTY
2,062
254
HOLMES COUNTY
1,542
102
HURON COUNTY
3,587
220
JACKSON COUNTY
1,958
181
JEFFERSON COUNTY
5,081
211
KNOX COUNTY
4,765
191
LAKE COUNTY
24,801
981
LAWRENCE COUNTY
4,370
137
LICKING COUNTY
15,440
723
LOGAN COUNTY
2,512
222
LORAIN COUNTY
25,550
1,206
LUCAS COUNTY
28,011
1,084
MADISON COUNTY
3,655
282
MAHONING COUNTY
20,090
670
MARION COUNTY
4,415
360
MEDINA COUNTY
15,059
977
MEIGS COUNTY
1,119
97
MERCER COUNTY
2,913
254
MIAMI COUNTY
7,303
446
MONROE COUNTY
1,184
190
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
36,662
976
MORGAN COUNTY
1,106
62
MORROW COUNTY
2,095
124
MUSKINGUM COUNTY
5,663
479
NOBLE COUNTY
1,018
100
OTTAWA COUNTY
3,371
251
PAULDING COUNTY
1,090
87
PERRY COUNTY
2,393
92
PICKAWAY COUNTY
3,779
485
PIKE COUNTY
1,819
133
PORTAGE COUNTY
11,207
505
PREBLE COUNTY
1,789
129
PUTNAM COUNTY
2,334
390
RICHLAND COUNTY
6,737
758
ROSS COUNTY
5,092
245
SANDUSKY COUNTY
2,960
251
SCIOTO COUNTY
3,684
293
SENECA COUNTY
2,600
148
SHELBY COUNTY
2,676
400
STARK COUNTY
28,092
805
SUMMIT COUNTY
44,684
1,046
TRUMBULL COUNTY
13,587
1,597
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY
7,052
368
UNION COUNTY
4,185
444
VAN WERT COUNTY
1,495
250
VINTON COUNTY
1,028
59
WARREN COUNTY
21,124
1,211
WASHINGTON COUNTY
4,667
359
WAYNE COUNTY
7,057
425
WILLIAMS COUNTY
1,827
155
WOOD COUNTY
7,245
432
WYANDOT COUNTY
1,066
85
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