And Ohio Secretary of State Clarifies What You Can Wear to Polls
In case you haven’t heard, tomorrow is election day. I spoke with the leaders of the county board of elections about the most momentous election in at least four years…if not longer.
Director Traci Henness and Deputy Director Jessica Smith chatted with me Monday afternoon. Twice a year I work for the board of elections, managing the small polling place in Clarksburg – so I was attending a final information session with the board in preparation for that.
It’s too late to vote early – that ended 5pm Sunday. And if you still have an absentee ballot, it’s too late to mail it in – but you can hand it in tomorrow, until the end of election day at 7:30pm.
1 of 2 2 of 2 It's too late for voting season - you'll have to wait for election day!
Henness and Smith said that after the polls close, Ross County election results will be updated every half hour on their website and the state’s website. Absentee numbers are required to be posted by 8:30pm, and they hope to have the entire county uploaded between 9:30 and 10pm.
Poll Workers are always needed. If you are able to work from 5:30am to past 7:30pm for a decent one-day paycheck, the Ross County Board of Elections may be willing to hire you – even at the last minute, for Tuesday!
They will be available in the Ross County Service Center at 475 Western Avenue, Suite D, from 6:30am to 7:30pm tomorrow, election day. Phone 740 / 775-2350, or find their website or Facebook Page. They say, when in doubt…call them.
The calendar for the fall 2024 election - which is almost expired.
The Ohio Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, is the state official in charge of elections. He recently responded to news about “polling place attire.”
It has been state law that voting places must be neutral, and any promotion of candidates or issues is not allowed within the 100-foot area usually marked by small U.S. flags.
Voters may be asked to remove or cover up “attire and paraphernalia” that promotes candidates or issues, but the Secretary of State reiterated that eligible voters cannot be prohibited from voting.
Logos are different, though – which the Ross County Board of Elections is aware of. LaRose noted that “slogans associated with a political party, candidate or ballot question or issue are not prohibited if they do not violate these three prohibitions.”
See the Secretary of State’s November 1st news release on the issue.
Ross County Board of Elections Deputy Director Jessica Smith and Director Traci Henness discuss what election day will be like.
Find more in the article on the Scioto Post, including a video interview with Hear Henness and Smith in their own words.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.
Ross County Board of Elections Director Traci Henness and Deputy Director Jessica Smith.