BUCYRUS — The deadline to vote in the Ohio Primary Election is looming as the last day to request an absentee ballot is Saturday at noon.
All absentee ballots must be returned by April 28 at 7:30 p.m. to be counted and all absentee ballots being mailed to the Crawford County Board of Elections must be postmarked by Monday, April 27.
According to Crawford County Board of Elections Director Ruth Leuthold, as of last Friday, just 19 percent of all registered Crawford County voters had cast their ballot.
“We have issued a total of 5,310 ballots so far and that figure includes people who voted early before the stay-at-home order was in place and the in-person election cancelled in March,” Leuthold said.
She said voters may call the board of elections office at 419-562-8721 to request an application or print one from their website and mail it back or drop it in the ballot box outside the main entrance of the Crawford County Courthouse at 112 E. Mansfield St., Bucyrus.
“We will then mail them a ballot that they can mail back to us or drop off in our ballot box outside the courthouse,” Leuthold said.
She said applications to receive a ballot are also attached to the ballot box.
Leuthold said the only voters permitted to cast their ballot in person are people that need an audio ballot. They may vote April 28, the same day the election ends, and the unofficial count will be conducted.
She said her staff will begin counting votes when the election ends Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and the unofficial results will be posted on the board of elections website at https://sites.google.com/site/crawfordboe/absentee.