WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — The future of how amendments to the state constitution can reach Election Day ballots in Ohio will be decided Tuesday during a statewide special election.
Issue 1 and the special August election for Ohioans to vote on it were approved back in May, leaving many smaller boards of elections offices in northwest Ohio only three months to plan for this statewide issue.
"None of us wanted an August Special Election statewide," Wood County Board of Elections director Terry Burton said. "But we were in a position where we knew that it was certainly coming."
Three months of planning seems like plenty of time to get ready for an event, but for local boards of elections offices, that was barely enough time to secure everything needed to host an Election Day.
In Seneca County, BOE director Lori Elchert says they had to bring in nearly an entirely new pool of poll worker volunteers.
Most established volunteers are not available to help as Seneca County has only held one other August special election before and never one of this size, Elchert said.
"So overall, having an August election is strange in and of itself," Elchert said. "Let alone just for one issue."
In Wood County, two polling locations had to be moved because Perrysburg High School and junior high were already hosting events Tuesday night.
Similarly, Wood County's board of elections had issues finding enough volunteers on short notice.
Burton says they are planning for a large turnout Tuesday because early voting numbers were much higher than expected, second only to recent a governor race.
"We had done some planning for it," Burton said. "We had reached out to some of our polling locations early and had to move a couple for this election, but generally got most of our polling locations secured early on."
Both boards of elections directors say you should double-check on the Ohio Secretary of State's website to confirm your polling location.
As for when it's best to vote, they say the busiest times at the polls recently have been early mornings and around 5 p.m.