MANSFIELD — The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot to be sent through the mail for the May 2 primary election is today, April 25, according to the Richland County Board of Elections.
The local elections office at 1495 W. Longview Ave., Suite 101, will be open until 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, according to elections director Matt Finfgeld.
“If people come in after 4:30 p.m., they need to come through the back entrance on the lower floor,” Finfgeld said.
The deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail absentee ballot has changed this year as part of a new state elections law.
If you need more information, call the Richland County Board of Elections at (419) 774-5530.
You can also visit the board’s website at https://www.boe.ohio.gov/richland/
It’s now the close of business on the seventh day before Election Day. The previous deadline was at noon on the third day before Election Day, which has been a Saturday.
Supporters of the change said this will ensure adequate time for applications to be processed and that voters do not unintentionally disenfranchise themselves by procrastinating too close to Election Day.
In January, Finfgeld and Deputy Director Jane Zimmerman said they agreed with that change.
“(Under the old law), the chances of us getting that (last-minute) absentee ballot back by mail was slim,” Finfgeld said. “We would mail it out, but then we have no control over it.
“It makes sense that voters have more time to get that ballot in the mail,” he said.
The following are acceptable forms of ID to apply for and return an absentee ballot by mail:
* An Ohio Driver License or State ID card number.
* The last four digits of the voter’s social security number (SSN).
* A copy of a photo ID. For a Driver License and State ID, it must be a copy of BOTH the front and the back of the ID. For US passport, a copy must be of the ID page.
All vote-by-mail absentee ballots must be returned by the fourth day after Election Day to be eligible to be counted. Mailed absentee ballots must still be postmarked by the day before Election Day.
Absentee ballots can be hand delivered to the Board of Elections by 7:30 pm on Election Day.
“You cannot drop them off at a polling location on Election Day. They will not be counted,” Finfgeld said.
