MANSFIELD — Nearly 15 percent of Richland County’s 82,041 registered voters have already cast their votes through absentee and early voting, according to Elections Director Paulette Hankins.

That percentage amounts to 12,609 voters. Of those, 3,491 have voted in person at the board of elections building on Longview Avenue and 9,118 have mailed their votes into the office.

Of the in-person early and absentee voters, 1,442 were registered as Democrats, 1,645 were registered as Republicans and 404 were registered as nonpartisan. The mailed ballots remain unopened.

Hankins said past presidential elections have brought around 20,000 ballots for absentee and early voting, a number which represents between 20 and 25 percent of all county voters.

“And I’m sure we’ll get over that this time,” she said.

Absentee and early voting started Oct. 12 in Ohio. Voters have until Nov. 7, the Monday before election day, to cast absentee and early votes. If voting by mail, ballots must be mailed by Saturday, Nov. 5 by noon.

Provisional voters have been encouraged to vote at the county’s Board of Elections building prior to election day.

Absentee and early voting helps alleviate the inevitable busied chaos at the polls, Hankins said. Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump’s recent allegations of a rigged election may increase business at precincts, she said.

Trump preemptively challenged the results of the election in early August at a Columbus rally.

“Nov. 8, we’d better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged,” he was quoted as saying in multiple news articles Aug. 1. “People are going to walk in and they’re going to vote 10 times, maybe, who knows?”

Hankins assured voters the election process is not rigged.

“I tell most people that the way Ohio is set up is bipartisan. I’m a Democrat and Bill (Freytag, deputy director) is a Republican. There is balance throughout the whole election system. The poll workers are balanced too,” Hankins said. “How many times can you get Democrats and Republicans to agree on anything?

“It (a rigged election) would take massive coercion. It’s just not going to happen.”

Those interested in voting early or casting absentee ballots can do so at Richland County’s Board of Elections building at 1495 West Longview Avenue in suite 101.

Early voting hours at the Longview location are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 28. Starting Monday, Oct. 31, the voting location will stay open until 7 p.m.

Early voting ends Monday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. For more information, visit their website or call 419-774-5530.