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With the Nov. 8 general election a little less than two months away, the Washington County Board of Elections is working to alert area residents to a large number of polling place changes, along with upcoming timing for absentee voting and voting by mail.
There are 42,000-43,000 registered voters in the county right now, according to Board of Elections Director Mandy Amos.
Within the next week, those residents will be getting green postcards in the mail from the elections board to notify them of their correct poll locations. The last election had 13 polling places. That number is now down to nine places, she said, and almost all of the locations have changed, as well.
"We've made an effort to move polling places out of churches and into school buildings," she said.
For people in more rural areas, the schools are centrally located, in familiar spots. The schools are also public buildings that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act modifications.
"Especially in outlying areas, it's hard to find available buildings that are ADA compliant," Amos said. "We're hoping we won't need any more changes for a long time."
To minimize confusion, all registered voters will get the green postcards in the mail, whether their polling places have changed or not.
"For example," she said, "all of the City of Marietta will vote at the Washington County Fairgrounds in the Junior Fair Building. The ones who already vote there will stay there."
The one other polling place where some of the residents will remain in the same location is the Marietta Township Recreation Center in Reno.
In addition to the green postcards, the elections board also has provided a list that recaps the polling place changes:
¯ If you voted at Belpre Church of Christ, you now vote at Belpre High School.
¯ If you voted at First Church of the Nazarene or the Knights of Columbus Hall, you now vote at the Washington County Fairgrounds Junior Fair Building.
¯ If you voted at Lighthouse Baptist Church or Porterfield Baptist Church, you now vote at Warren High School in Vincent.
¯ If you voted at New Matamoras Public Library, you now vote at New Matamoras Elementary School.
¯ If you voted at Newport United Methodist Church, you now vote at Newport Elementary School.
¯ If you voted at Pinehurst Christian Church, you now vote at Washington County Career Center.
¯ If you voted at Lower Paw Paw Church, you now vote at Salem Liberty Elementary School Gym in Lower Salem.
¯ If you voted at St. Bernard's Catholic Church or Watertown VFD, you now vote at Waterford Elementary School Gym.
Those who are not registered but want to vote must register by Oct. 11. This can be done one of three ways: at the Board of Elections office, 204 Davis Ave., Suite B (lower back level of the Washington County Children's Services Building); online at voteohio.gov; or at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office at Frontier Shopping Center.
The last four digits of the registrant's Social Security number or full Ohio Driver's License number must be written on the form provided.
Early voting starts Oct.12 and can be done at the Board of Elections office on Davis Avenue. The board office is the only location for early voting. Amos noted that early voting is gaining in popularity in the area.
Ballots by mail also will go out Oct. 12. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by the Board of Election office by noon Nov. 5.