Pickaway County Board of Elections: early voting in Circleville

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CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — The card in a wallet matters more than the envelope. Pickaway County will not hand a regular early ballot to a voter who shows up at 141 W. Main St., Suite 800, with a power bill, a paycheck stub, or a license issued in another state.

The board wants one of these, unexpired, with a photograph and a name that substantially matches the registration:

• An Ohio driver’s license
• An Ohio state identification card
• An interim identification form from the Ohio BMV, including the paperwork a driver holds while the plastic card is in the mail
• A U.S. passport or passport card
• A U.S. military ID card
• A U.S. military dependent card
• An Ohio National Guard ID card
• A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card

An Ohio license or state ID that still shows a previous street is acceptable, as long as it has not expired and the poll book has the voter at the current address. A hole-punched Ohio card is also acceptable if the expiration date is still ahead. A student ID is not. A birth certificate is not. A Social Security card is not.

Where that check happens

That check happens at the Pickaway County Board of Elections, Suite 800 of 141 W. Main St. in Circleville, not at a township house or a school gym. Those buildings are polling places on Nov. 3. They are not open for early voting. The board phone is 740-474-1100. The email is pickaway@ohiosos.gov.

Hours through Nov. 1

Early in-person voting started Oct. 6 and runs through Nov. 1. Weekday hours through Oct. 23 are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no early voting on the weekends of Oct. 10–11 or Oct. 17–18. Saturday hours arrive Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, both 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last week opens earlier and closes later: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 and Oct. 28–30, and 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Sunday, Nov. 1, is 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, is dark.

Oct. 27 is also the cutoff for an absentee application. It has to be in the board’s hands by 8:30 p.m. that night, not merely postmarked. A completed ballot has to be back at Suite 800 by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3. The outside drop box is for the voter’s own ballot. Someone returning a relative’s ballot, or helping a voter with a disability, needs to come inside and sign an attestation. Close relatives include a spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or in-law.

If the ID is missing

A voter without a qualifying photo ID can still vote a provisional ballot. For that ballot to count, the voter generally has to return to the Circleville office within four days after Election Day with an accepted ID. Voters who cannot be photographed for religious reasons use an affidavit instead of that cure trip.

The registration books for this election closed Monday night. Sample ballots, precinct assignments, and registration status are on voterlookup.ohiosos.gov. Election Day voting is 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the precinct on the voter’s card, and anyone in line at 7:30 p.m. stays in line and votes.

A voter who cannot walk into Suite 800 because of a disability should call the board ahead and ask for curbside service. The office page is boe.ohio.gov/pickaway.

Next in Pickaway County: Marshalls sets an Oct. 29 opening on Summit Avenue in Circleville

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