Lorain County has surge in early voting, absentee ballot requests

SHEFFIELD TWP. — Robert Shirey has been caught in long voting lines before, and has no patience for it. That's why he voted early in person Monday at the Lorain County Board of Elections office. "I don't wait until Election Day anymore," said Shirey, of North Ridgeville. "… But you've got to vote — I just feel it's my civic duty. And if you don't vote, you get what you get. I'd rather have some say in it." This is the last full week of early voting before Nov. 8, and already 38,322 Lorain County residents have either turned out to vote or requested to cast their ballots by mail. That's far ahead of the 33,792 people who had taken the same steps at this point during the last midterm election in 2018, said Paul Adams, director of the county elections board. "I anticipate that increase is going to grow," he said. On Friday, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said 1,076,049 people statewide had already voted or asked for an absentee ballot. That's a 1.8 percent increase over the same point in the 2018 gubernatorial election. The biggest increase is among in-person early voters. As of Friday, 135,889 had cast their ballots, compared to 93,763 in 2018, according to LaRose. This week, Adams predicts about 1,000 people each day will turn out to vote early at 1985 North Ridge Road East in Sheffield Township. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7. Polls across Lorain County will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8. To find your voting location, visit www.voteloraincountyohio.gov. Adams said larger early voting numbers won't necessarily translate to higher turnout overall. "I'm still not certain whether that increase in early voting means there's an increased interest in this election, or whether there were individuals who got used to early voting since 2020," he said. Voters have already expressed huge interest in North Ridgeville's school and city bond issue, Adams said. Issues calling for support of the Midview and Columbia school systems are also driving early voters, he said. The Board of Elections parking lot was busy Monday, but voters entered and exited the building quickly. Some bypassed the building entirely, instead using a dedicated drive-thru lane to drop off completed absentee ballots. "It's just easily accessible. … It's easier than going inside," said Shearon Holmes of Avon. The drive-thru booth is jointly manned at all times by a Democrat and Republican. Early Monday afternoon, the pairing was Democrat Jill Murrell and Republican Bob Bakaitis. "I've seen people who are very happy they have an easy way to bring back their ballots. They don't have to worry about the post office," Murrell said. "They pull around here and enjoy not getting out of the car," Bakaitis agreed. The drive-thru is in operation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Adams said board staff members take turns observing the Board of Elections parking lot for traffic or other issues that might arise. A Lorain County Sheriff's deputy is also on site around the clock. "The good thing is at this point they haven't had to exercise that part of their duties," Adams said. He also confirmed that absentee ballots were mailed to those who have requested them without a hitch. Unlike the situation that unfolded in October 2020, when there was a backlog of 30,000 ballots to be mailed out, there have been no issues with printer Midwest Direct, said Adams. After the fall 2020 election, the Lorain County Board of Elections dropped Midwest Direct as a vendor. When problems arose with the replacement, Midwest Direct won the bid to return and printed ballots for the May and August 2021 primaries without incident, according to Adams. Jason Hawk can be reached at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.