TOLEDO, Ohio — The directors of the Lucas and Wood counties boards of elections are trying to get more poll operators on standby ahead of the general election in November.
Wood County early voting sites have seen more than 2,300 voters, nearing the total number of voters in the last odd year November election of just over 2,400, Board of Elections Director Terry Burton said.
He attributes this increased turnout to state issues that are driving a different interest group to the polls.
"It's state issue one and state issue two, depending on what the person's interest is," Burton said. "Anytime you have larger state issues on the ballot, it drives more people to the polls."
Burton said during early voting, Wood County residents come in because it fits their schedule and because they expect the lines to be shorter.
But even if you are a seasoned voter, you should prepare ahead of time because this year's ballot will be different than previous years, he said.
"The ballot is longer in a lot of places because of all the races that are on, so we certainly encourage voters to read up on their issues before they come to the polls and it might make their experience a little quicker," he said.
While Wood County is seeing an uptick in voters, Lucas County is seeing fewer than expected, Board of Elections Director LaVera Scott said.
"This week it has picked up some," she said. "We are getting more absentee ballot requests through the mail and returned back to us, so I think it's going to be more of a crunch, the last week of voting."
Scott said there are 23 issues on the ballot and many of them have brought voters in by the thousands in previous elections. And if voters don't cast their ballots early, she said Nov. 7 will be a busy day.
And doing research ahead of time for items like issues one and two will also be important.
"Of course, the language for those two issues is very long and if you come and the first time you've ever seen it is when you come to vote, it may take you longer to make your decision," Scott said.
Both Burton and Scott said preparation for voting also includes showing up to the right location and having the correct forms of identification.