By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The one constant in this election season seems to be voter confusion.
Uncertainty over mail-in ballots and over how to vote during a pandemic.
“It is being driven by the media and social media. It’s making it difficult for the voters,” said Terry Burton of the Wood County Board of Elections.
So the local board of elections wants to clear up any confusion about voting in the general election.
“We’re trying to stick to the facts of the message,” Burton said.
The board is stressing that voting in Wood County will be the same as any previous presidential elections – just with some safety measures included.
There will be three ways to vote, as with every election:
- Absentee by mail. The Board of Elections is accepting applications now. Registered voters will be sent an application in the mail by the Secretary of State in September. Ballots will be mailed out to voters beginning Oct. 6.
- Early voting. Voting will begin on Oct. 6 in the Wood County Courthouse Atrium, One Courthouse Square, Bowling Green. Check the Wood County Board of Elections website for hours.
- At the polls on election day. Polling locations will be open Nov. 3 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
That’s not to say there won’t be some changes for those handling the election.
“We’re definitely expecting more vote by mail and more early votes,” Burton said.
So far, more than 6,000 voters in Wood County have requested absentee ballots.
“It’s unprecedented,” and due to concerns about the pandemic, Burton said. “The more we can get those in, the better off we are.”
Burton cautioned that voters should not send in duplicate requests because they haven’t received their ballots yet. The ballots cannot be mailed out until Oct. 6.
Like the rest of the state, Wood County has one board of elections drop box for ballots – though that is being challenged across Ohio. The local drop box is outside the main entrance of the Wood County Courthouse Complex in Bowling Green.
“Our staff will empty it multiple times a day,” once the ballots start coming in, Burton said.
Given the number of requests for absentee ballots, Burton said he expects the completed ballots to be returned quickly – not at the last minute.
“Everybody who is interested in this is getting it in now,” he said of the applications. “Those ballots are going to come back lightning quick.”
“People are eager to get this going. People are eager to get this over,” Burton said.
Here is other information the Wood County Board of Elections wants local voters to know:
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some polling locations in Bowling Green have been changed:
- Residents who usually vote at the Wood County District Public Library will be voting in the new Veterans Building in City Park.
- Residents who usually vote in Trinity Methodist Church will also be voting in the new Veterans Building in City Park.
- Residents who usually vote at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church will be voting at Bowling Green Alliance Church on 1161 Napoleon Road.
Don’t miss the deadline to register:
- The deadline for voter registration and change of address is Oct. 5 at 9 p.m.
Still looking for poll workers:
With the majority of poll workers being older and more vulnerable during the pandemic, many of them are reluctant to work on election day. The board of elections put a call out for poll workers to fill those spots, and have heard from many willing workers.
“We are continuing to solicit volunteers. We will never say ‘no,’” Burton said.
Safety precautions at the polls:
“We will give the poll workers the tools to stay as safe as possible,” Burton said. They will be armed with masks, gloves, disinfectant and hand sanitizer.
Safety measures will also be taken for the voters. Rather than just one hand stylus for signing in, there will be multiple that will be sanitized after each use. Voters will also be given a stylus to vote with if they would rather not touch the screen.
Plastic barriers will be set up at sign-in stations.
In rare cases, voting will be allowed at curbside. This will be offered only to those who become unable to come inside a polling precinct very close to election day, and did not have time to get an absentee ballot for early voting.
Masks not required, but strongly encouraged:
The Ohio Secretary of State has said that masks will not be mandated for voters. The Wood County Board of Elections will have disposable masks available that poll workers will offer to voters without face coverings.
“They should wear a mask to be respectful of the current state and county mandates and out of consideration for their neighbors,” Burton said.
People who decline masks will be asked to vote outside the polling places.
“If they want to vote in Ohio without consideration for their neighbors, they will be allowed to vote,” Burton said.
Concerns about mailed in ballots:
Burton has confidence in the local postal service.
“The local postmasters have really tried to work with us to do everything in their power to get mail out for us and to us,” he said.
Congressman Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, announced Friday that mail from Northwest Ohio will be sent to a processing plant in Cleveland rather than the facility in Pontiac, Michigan, from Sept. 16 to Nov. 14.
Even prior to that, Burton said Wood County Board of Elections had decided to use a mail service in Cleveland that other election boards in this region use to avoid election mail getting slowed down in the Detroit area.
