Election Day is nearly here, my friends. Our fellow Ohioans have taken voting very seriously already this year, with early voting numbers climbing quickly here in Franklin County and around the state.
As of Sunday evening, which was the final day for early voting, over 2.4 million Ohio voters have already cast their ballots, whether by voting in person or sending in their ballots by mail. Here in Franklin County, nearly 237,000 residents have voted so far, with about half of those (122,514) choosing to vote in person at the Franklin County Board of Elections on Morse Road.
This is a record-breaking number of early voting participants, eclipsing the in-person early voting record that was set back in 2020 with around 117,000 ballots.
On Sunday afternoon, thousands of people lined up around the Board of Elections building, ready to cast their votes. The line stretched around the building and the turnout was so great that polls were still open more than 90 minutes after their 5 p.m. closing time.
In Ohio’s statewide early voting data, some trends are emerging that could hint at what’s to come.
A big chunk of voters, about 48%, are those registered as unaffiliated, meaning they didn’t participate in recent party primaries. Republicans are turning out in higher numbers than Democrats, making up roughly 59.6% of Ohio’s early vote compared to 40.4% for Democrats. This shift in early voting trends marks a reversal from the 2020 election when Democrats led the early voting surge.
But in Franklin County, along with other large, traditionally Democratic counties like Cuyahoga, Hamilton, and Summit, Democrats are holding a lead over Republicans.
Even in swing counties that leaned red in 2020, like Mahoning and Trumbull, Democratic voters have shown up early, indicating that urban and suburban areas are feeling energized ahead of this year’s election. For Republicans, turnout in rural, conservative counties has stayed strong, balancing the impact of urban Democratic hubs.
If you want to keep an eye on early voting data yourself, you can do so over through the Ohio Absentee and Early Voting Data Dashboard.
Early in-person voting has now ended across the state.
You can still submit your mail-in ballot by either mailing it or returning it to an approved drop-box. If you’re mailing it, you need to do it no later than Monday, November 5. It must be postmarked no later than the day before Election Day and received by your county board of elections no later than four days after the election.
If you are returning your absentee ballot in person to your board of elections, you must do so by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Only you, your spouse, child, or a near relative may deliver your ballot to the board of elections for you.