Local election officials are preparing for next week’s primary election where political parties will select their candidates for the November election. Above, Gretchen Kinney, a part-time elections specialist with the Union County Board of Elections, works at the board of elections office to check the logic and accuracy of the polling pads to be used at local polling locations.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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Union County election officials are saying that while there has been some confusion at the state level, locally things are moving smoothly.
“I think things are going very well,” said Tina LaRoche, director of the Union County Board of Elections. “We have not had any issues.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 700 voters had cast an in-person ballot at the Board of Elections office. Additionally, the office has received more than 250 votes by other means — mail, voting at nursing homes, hand carrying ballots, etc.
LaRoche said the amount is “about normal.”
Brandon Clay, deputy director of the Union County Board of Elections, said voting started slow, but has picked up in the last couple weeks.
As part of the May 3 primary election, voters will cast ballots for countywide and statewide offices, as well as Congress and local questions. They will not be voting on races for the state general assembly — Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives— or state central committee because the Ohio Redistricting Commission has not been able to create legislative maps for the general assembly.
As courts as well as state and federal officials have scrambled to decide what comes next for those races, Clay and LaRoche said local voters are taking it in stride.
“I haven’t heard a lot of confusion,” LaRoche said.
She said that while many are informed, they are also curious about what will happen.
“We just let them know we are still waiting to hear,” LaRoche said.
State election officials have said the general assembly and state central committee primaries will be held at some point in the future, but have not given a date.
“We are still waiting to find out when the general assembly will set a date for that,” Clay said. “We will wait for instruction.”
Local election officials said they continue to hear confusion about the purpose of a primary.
“So many people just don’t understand,” Clay said.
Officials said residents often don’t want to declare a party or they want to vote for some positions in one party and other positions in another. Officials said voters will see signs or ads for candidates in both parties and want to vote for or against individuals not in their party.
“The primary is for members of each party to select candidates for their party to run in the general election,” said Clay.
LaRoche said in addition to showing identification, voters should be prepared to declare what party they are affiliated with. She said often the poll workers will simply turn the screen around so the voter can see and select their option.
Clay said those who do not want to declare a party have that option, but then can vote only on the issues. He said that since there are no statewide or countywide issues, only voters in Allen, Jerome and York have issues.
“If you don’t want to vote Republican or Democrat and you don’t live in one of those three townships, there just isn’t anything for you to vote on,” Clay said.
Election officials have said there are three ways to cast a ballot in the May 3 primary — vote by mail, early in-person and in-person voting on election day at a polling location.
Early, in-person voting will be available at the Board of Elections office at 835 E. Fifth St., today, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on or before Monday or they can be delivered to the board of elections office before 7:30 p.m., Tuesday.
Election day voting will take place Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Those interested can go to the board of elections website to view their sample ballot.
Voters with questions about the election or the elections process may contact the board of elections office by phone or by emailing boardofelections@unioncountyohio.gov.