LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — Ohio's Aug. 8 special election is less than two months away, but some voters in Lucas County might have to contend with a second special election in September -- only a month later.
Maumee and Oregon both have reached the threshold for a city council primary on Sept. 12, with the winning candidates going into the November general election.
Those two trips to the ballot box in a little over a month have garnered concern and criticism from local elections leaders.
Lucas County Board of Elections Director LaVera Scott said the September election is a quick turnaround and her team won't even be finished certifying the first election before the second election starts, pushing them behind schedule.
"We cannot even begin certification until 10 days after an election," Scott said. "So during the time we'll be in early voting, we'll still be in the August election because voting won't be certified yet."
Scott said the board is already looking for extra hands to help.
It's not just a burden on the BOE staff, though, Scott said it's a lot for voters to contend with in one season.
"Elections can be confusing ... but when you have elections back to back, and you may see candidates with signs and things up saying 'vote for me,' voters might not know that person is only on the ballot in September," Scott said.
That's why they're planning all kinds of advertising to try to make the situation as clear as possible for the public.
"We have billboards going up for the August election and we'll do something similar for the September election. Give them the dates of the election, and any other kind of social media we can use," Scott said.
However, Colin Flanagan, the president of the Lucas County Young Democrats and an Oregon native, said back-to-back elections will likely burn out voters in his hometown.
"At a certain point, when you're calling people to the polls so often, they become jaded," Flanagan said. "Certainly I feel that way, and I'm the president of the Lucas County Young Democrats."
WTOL 11 reached out to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office about potential voter confusion and burnout but has not yet received a response.