COLUMBUS, Ohio — Voters in Democratic-stronghold counties are showing up in mass to vote early for the November election on abortion and marijuana, exceeding the already unexpectedly large turnout from the August special election.
"For these things that are on the ballot right now, which are very important, I just wanted to make sure my vote is in and counted," voter Ellen Rosenblatt said.
Rosenblatt wanted to decide if abortion and recreational marijuana should be legal. She is one of the tens of thousands of early voters in Cuyahoga County.
Mike West, with the county board of elections, is excited that so many people are interested and showing up for this election.
"We're gonna have a pretty healthy turnout for this election," he said.
The best way to compare this typically-municipal-year election is with the recent special election on August 8.
Analysis
Statehouse reporter Morgan Trau reached out to a dozen counties with different political leanings all across the state. She got data and calculated from the 11th day of early voting — which Ohio has data for now. This means that the data comes up to July 25 for the August election and Oct. 25 for the November election.
The reason they are both the 25th is due to the fact that November voters lost a day due to the federal holiday, so a day was removed from July.
Cuyahoga County is seeing about the same for in-person ballots cast but has a large increase in absentee ballots.
"We are way ahead, by around 10,000 vote-by-mail ballot applications," West said.
Cuyahoga, Franklin (which has Columbus) and Hamilton (which has Cincinnati) were the determiners in the August election. Although they each vote Democratic, Cuyahoga and Franklin counties are the strongholds in the state.
News 5 looked to see if they are following the same trend by obtaining raw data from election officials and then rounding for clarity.
For full disclosure, Ohio has more GOP-leaning counties with fewer people in them than the fewer Democratic-leaning counties that have larger population numbers.
Cuyahoga is up from 95,000 to 105,000 — a 10% increase; Franklin is up from 28,000 to 58,000 — a 107% increase, and Hamilton is up from 27,000 to 33,000 — a 20% increase.
It's not just urban counties seeing an increase; suburban counties are, too. Medina County is up from 9,000 to about 11,000 — a 22% increase. Lake is up from 10,000 to 13,500 — a 35% increase.
But some Republican strongholds aren't seeing the same. Carroll County is down from 420 to 390 — a 7% decrease; Holmes is down from 1,280 to 930 — a 27% decrease.
However, some conservative counties are seeing increases. Putnam, which voted 80% for GOP-backed Aug. 8 Issue 1, is up from 1,350 to 1,700 — 25% increase.
There is still plenty of time for every county to see an increase. Early voting continues through Nov. 5.
"It's just easy — I like to come down here; I like to see all the people," Rosenblatt said with a smile. "And I really love to vote."
What is Issue 1?
"The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety" would allow every person to have the legal choice on abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing a pregnancy. It would also prohibit the state from interfering or penalizing an individual's voluntary exercise of this right or anyone or entity that helps in utilizing this right.
RELATED: What is Ohio Issue 1? We explain the abortion amendment
What is Issue 2?
Marijuana Legalization Initiative would let voters choose if Ohio should legalize marijuana for adults 21 and up. If passed, Ohioans would also be able to grow up to six plants. In addition, The proposal would impose a 10% tax at the point of sale for each transaction.
RELATED: Issue 2, recreational marijuana and how it would impact Ohio
When do I vote?
Vote at your local board of elections on these days:
- Oct. 16-20: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Oct. 23-27: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Oct. 30: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- Nov. 1-3: 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 4: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Nov. 5: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Citizens can no longer vote on Nov. 6, the Monday before the election.
Mailed absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6.
Vote at your polling location on Nov. 7. Polls open from 6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
If not returned by mail, absentee ballots must be received by your board of elections by 7:30 p.m.
Find your polling place by clicking or tapping here.
What do I need to vote?
In order to cast a ballot, voters must have an unexpired Photo ID such as a passport or driver's license. Previously, voters were able to use nonphoto documentation such as bank statements, government checks or utility bills to register to vote.
CLICK HERE for more information on ID requirements.
Here is the list of acceptable types of valid ID:
- Ohio driver's license
- State of Ohio ID card
- Interim ID form issued by the Ohio BMV
- A US passport
- A US passport card
- US military ID card
- Ohio National Guard ID card
- US Department of Veterans Affairs ID card
More information for voters
To check your voter registration status, find your polling place, view your sample ballot and more, head to the Ohio Secretary of State's VoteOhio.gov website.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
