MANSFIELD — Richland County voters will do more than choose who will become the nation’s next leader in the upcoming general election.
They’ll decide who will fill several county administrative offices.
Paulette Hankins, director of Richland County Board of Elections, expects a higher voter turnout given that it’s a presidential election.
“We usually get anywhere from 60 to 80 percent turnout (for presidential elections), and we’re usually below 50 percent, somewhere in the 35 to 40 percent range (for off-year elections),” she said.
Voters can request a mailed absentee ballot by completing an application and submitting it to the county board of elections office. An application by mail must be received by the county board of elections by noon on the third day before the election.
There’s also the option of early in-person voting at Longview Center during designated hours.
Absentee voting and early in-person voting garner a decent number of voters. There were about 10,000 people who voted absentee and another 10,000 that voted early in-person for the last two presidential elections, Hankins said.
“We’re expecting at least 20,000 out of 80,000 voters to have already cast their ballot by the time Nov. 8 gets here,” she said.
The board of elections is implementing a new measure this year, calling it the “Any Line, Any Time” concept.
If a polling place is in a vote center which has multiple precincts within it, voters may go to any check-in station within that center to vote. Voters no longer have to know their specific precinct and check in at that particular table.
This does not mean voters can go to any voting location and cast a ballot. Rather, it only means that if a voting location contains more than one precinct, voters may go to the shortest line to state their name and address and sign in to receive a ballot.
Hankins believes the new measure should help alleviate lines.
The “Voter View” on the board of elections’ website is now active and sample ballots are available for viewing. Click on the red icon on the homepage, choose the “Registration Information Sample Ballot” tab, and enter your name and birthdate to view a ballot for your residence location.
No polling places have changed in the past year. If you’re not sure where to vote or need to check on your voter registration, contact the Richland County Board of Elections office at 419-774-5530 or check out their website at richlandcountyoh.us/boe.
Below is a summary of what voters can anticipate when heading to the polls on Nov. 8.
Commissioner
Term commencing Jan. 2, 2017: Darrell Banks (Republican) v. Ron Davis (Democrat)
Term commencing Jan. 3, 2017: Gary Utt (Democrat incumbent) v. Tony Vero (Republican)
Prosecutor
Gary Bishop (Republican) v. Bambi Couch-Page (Democrat incumbent)
Sheriff
Matthew James Mayer (Democrat) v. J. Steve Sheldon (Republican incumbent)
Recorder
James Boyd (Democrat) v. Sarah M. Davis (Republican incumbent)
State Senator, District 22
Christopher King (Democrat) v. Larry J. Obhof (Republican incumbent) v. Ashley Kemp (Write-In)
State Representative, District 2
Brittany Bowman (Democrat) v. Mark J. Romanchuk (Republican incumbent) v. Timothy Peter Grady (Write-In)
There are also a number of local issues on the ballot, including school levies for Ashland City School District, Lucas Local School District, Plymouth-Shiloh Local School District, Ontario Local School District and Shelby City School District.
Ashland CSD: Five-year tax levy renewal of 9.9 mills for current expenses
Lucas LSD: Five-year tax levy renewal of 3.6 mills to avoid an operating deficit
Plymouth-Shiloh LSD: Five-year tax levy renewal of 3.8 mills to avoid an operating deficit
Ontario LSD: Continuing substitute tax levy of 4.8 mills for necessary requirements
Shelby CSD: Five-year tax levy renewal of 4.5 mills for emergency requirements
Some other issues on the ballot pertain to the City of Shelby, Madison Township, and the Village of Lexington.
Shelby is asking for the renewal of two existing tax levies: an 0.9-mill, five-year health levy, and an 0.5-mill, five-year parks levy.
Madison Township is seeking a 1.7-mill, continuing levy for fire equipment and facilities.
Lexington is asking for the renewal on a 1.0-mill, five-year levy for parks and recreation.
Altogether, there are 18 issues and questions.
