As voters hit the polls today, about 1,000 fewer Athens County residents will be fighting polling lines compared to 2009, having cast their ballots long before the second Tuesday this November.
This year, 2,762 individuals requested absentee ballots from the Athens County Board of Elections. Of those mailed, 2,437 ballots had been returned as of yesterday.
These numbers are not out of the ordinary for an “odd election year,” or one without a gubernatorial or presidential race, said Debbie Quivey, director of the Athens County Board of Elections.
In 2009, absentee voting proved less popular with 1,894 ballot requests and 1,797 ballots returned, according to the Board.
A total of 11,057 ballots were cast last year.
The absentee ballots come into the office as voters mail them in, so workers are able to keep up with the large numbers, Quivey said.
Quivey could only speculate as to why more residents chose to mail their ballots in, attributing the increase to sheer convenience.
“Although Ohio does not have an option for early voting, voters still have the ability to submit ballots before election day because requests to (submit an) absentee vote no longer require a reason,” Quivey said.
Despite their early arrival, absentee ballots are treated like regular ballots and cannot be counted before 7:30 p.m. election night.
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