Early in-person voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week, Oct. 19 through Oct. 23, at the Champaign County Board of Elections in Urbana, as the second pass of statewide early voting enters its third week.
The board’s early voting location is its office at 1512 South U.S. Highway 68, Suite L100, in Urbana, Ohio 43078. That is the only place in Champaign County where an early in-person ballot can be cast this week; a voter’s regular precinct polling place does not open until Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, when polls statewide are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The 8-to-5 weekday schedule is the statewide schedule set by the Ohio Secretary of State for Oct. 19 to 23 in every county. Hours expand after this week: Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., then longer days in the final week, including 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 and Oct. 28 through 30, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 31, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1. There is no early voting on Monday, Nov. 2.
Champaign County voters decided a crowded first-pass ballot preview earlier this fall, including the Urbana mayor recall question, a developmental disabilities levy and a commissioner race covered in this newspaper’s county-by-county guide. This week’s update is about access: any registered Champaign County voter can use the Urbana office during the hours above, regardless of precinct.
Absentee voting by mail is running alongside early in-person voting. Applications for a mailed absentee ballot must be received by the board by 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, and a completed non-military absentee ballot must be received by the board by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Voters who requested a mailed ballot but decide to vote in person should check with the board before casting a regular ballot, to avoid a provisional ballot.
The board of elections can be reached at 937-484-1575, with regular office hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday outside the early-voting schedule. Voters can confirm their registration, view a sample ballot and check their Election Day polling place through the Ohio Secretary of State’s voter tools before they go.
For Urbana and the villages and townships across Champaign County, the practical advice from election officials statewide is the same: vote early if you can, bring acceptable photo identification, and do not wait for the final weekend if a weekday trip to South U.S. Highway 68 fits your schedule. Lines grow as Nov. 3 approaches in every Ohio county.
Early voting continues at the Urbana office through Sunday, Nov. 1. After that, the next and final chance to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election is at assigned precinct polling places on Election Day itself.