(Election 2024 – Photo Illustration/MetroCreative)
MARIETTA — The Washington County Board of Elections shared information about the upcoming primary election on March 19.
Deputy Director Karen Pawloski said that early voting hours for the primary election start Feb. 21.
According to the Board of Elections website, people can vote early Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 21 to March 8; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 9; 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. March 11 and March 12 to March 15; 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. March 12; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 16; and 1-5 p.m. March 17. The last day of early voting is March 17.
On Election Day, March 19, polls will be open 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Pawloski said.
A new voter ID law took effect in Ohio in April 2023. According to Pawloski, in order to vote in the state of Ohio a voter must have a photo ID with them when they vote. This ID can be a state of Ohio driver’s license, a state of Ohio issued photo ID, a military ID or a passport.
There are address rules for voting as well. Voters must tell staff their address at the polls and it must match the address listed in the Board of Elections system. The address on the ID voters provide at the polls does not need to match the address listed in the Board of Elections system, according to Pawloski.
Pawloski said if the address voters give at the polls does not match the address the Board of Elections has in their system, then the voter will have to vote provisionally.
When casting a provisional vote, the voter votes by paper and the piece of paper is put in an envelope. Then the voter has until the weekend after the election to “cure” their ballot. For a voter to cure they would bring in a photo ID showing the correct address.
Voters will have until the Sunday after the primary election, March 24, to cure their provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are reviewed by the bipartisan four-member board of elections to determine if they can be counted. The ballot has to be cured to be counted, according to Pawloski.
The polling location for the Barlow, Vincent, Little Hocking, Rockland West, Decatur, Dunham East, Dunham West, Fairfield and Wesley voting precincts has been changed. It was at Warren High School in the old gym the last few years. For the primary election the polling place is still located at the campus, but it is in the former ag building, Pawloski said.
Pawloski said the polling locations for the rest of the precincts should be the same. You can find your polling location at http://tinyurl.com/2me4s6tk.
The deadline to register to vote, according to Pawloski, is Feb. 20. The Board of Elections office will be open until 9 p.m. that day to allow people to register. To be able to register to vote in the state of Ohio, you must bring a state of Ohio driver’s license or a photo ID issue by state of Ohio, and If you do not have a state of Ohio issued photo ID, you can get one for free through the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Pawloski said.
To check if you are registered to vote go to the Board of Elections at http://tinyurl.com/5frsf3vu.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com
