Voters casting ballots early

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With less than a week until Tuesday’s presidential primary election, over 700 Fayette Countians have requested absentee ballots and nearly 600 have been cast, according to the Fayette County Board of Elections.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, 735 voters had requested ballots and 599 ballots had been cast. According to local Board of Elections Director Beth Ann Snyder and Deputy Director Jamie Brooks, 347 had voted in the board of elections office and 305 had requested ballots by mail.

“Absentee turnout has been good,” said Snyder on Wednesday. “We’re a little bit behind the pace for the 2008 presidential primary and ahead of the pace for the 2012 presidential primary.”

In ‘08, approximately 1,100 ballots were cast in the local primary and about 600 were cast in 2012.

Breaking it down even further by political party, a total of 221 Democratic primary ballots had been requested and a total of 490 Republican primary ballots had been requested as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Those who want to vote in the Republican primary must declare Republican and those who want to vote in the Democratic primary must declare as a Democrat,” said Snyder. “Each primary, you get to choose, so you can always change in the future if you’d like. There is also an issues only ballot, but there is only a levy in Jeffersonville and a local option for El Dorado.”

This week, in-person absentee hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday. Over the weekend, in-person absentee hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. On Monday, March 14, in-person absentee hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then on Election Day, March 15, the polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

While voters have until Saturday by noon to request an absentee ballot by mail and can return by mail as long as it is postmarked by March 14, to ensure their ballot is not rejected due to a lack of a proper postmark, they are encouraged to deliver their completed ballot in person to their county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. By Election Day, voters will have had 648 hours to vote by mail and 211 hours to vote in person.

In addition to the presidential primary, Ohioans will nominate candidates for the U.S. Senate, the Ohio Supreme Court, Congress, the state legislature and many local races. There will be 465 local issues in 82 counties.

Locally, county officials seeking another term will be Fayette County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven Beathard, Commissioners Tony Anderson and Dan Dean, Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, Treasurer Susan Dunn, Prosecuting Attorney Jess Weade, Clerk of Courts Evelyn Pentzer, Coroner Dr. Dennis Mesker, Engineer Steve Luebbe, and Recorder Cathy Templin. All of these officials are running unopposed in the Republican primary.

Citizens of the Village of Jeffersonville will vote on whether or not to renew a property tax levy. The 2.9-mill, five-year renewal levy would continue a current levy in place that helps to generate revenue for the general fund for the village, according to Bob Kinzer, who was elected in November to fill the mayor position and began his term on Jan. 1. The levy has been in effect for years and helps to pay for the operating costs the village incurs. These include paying for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office services, mowing village property and more.

The only other local issue is for voters of precinct 4-A: the local option election for Sunday alcohol sales at El Dorado Mexican Restaurant in Washington C.H.

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Absentee numbers strong in Fayette County for primary

By Ryan Carter

[email protected]

Reach Ryan Carter at 740-313-0352 or on Twitter @rywica.

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