ELECTION 2012: Ohio Sets New Early Voting Record

COLUMBUS – Nearly 1.8 million Ohioans cast their ballots before Election Day thanks to early voting, which is a new state record, said elections officials.

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released the final round of absentee voting data for Ohio based upon an informal survey of the state’s 88 boards of elections.

Also, Husted noted that of the more than 1.3 million absentee ballots that were mailed to voters’ homes, more than 1.1 million have already been returned, which equates to 87.1 percent.

Additionally, more than 592,000 people voted in-person at their board of elections or designated voting center.

“Clearly, our efforts to make absentee voting more accessible for all Ohio voters have worked,” Husted said in a prepared statement.

“More voters have cast absentee ballots in this election than in any other election since no-fault absentee voting began in 2006,” Husted added.

Husted encouraged people who have requested and received absentee ballots to get them returned. Although the deadline to get ballots postmarked was Monday, voters still may return the ballots in-person to their board of elections up until the close of polls on Election Day.

If a voter has requested an absentee ballot and decides instead to vote in-person, they will be required to vote provisionally.

Under state law, provisional ballots won’t be tallied until Nov. 17.

If the winning presidential candidate wins by less than one-fourth of 1 percent of the Ohio vote, an automatic recount must begin by Dec. 12. State elections officials, however, have the discretion to begin it earlier.

Polls are open on Election Day from 6:30 am to 7:30 pm.