Democratic strongholds in Ohio are outperforming previous early voting records, but counties that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020 are leading in the number of votes cast.
Two weeks of early voting down, about two weeks until Election Day.
“I left early to make sure I got in and cast my vote,” said Akron voter Lynda Smith.
Smith is one of tens of thousands of early voters in Summit County. About 850,000 Ohioans cast ballots statewide.
We checked where these voters came from.
Data analysis
These data were calculated based on statewide and county data obtained from online systems or based on requests received from local officials. When we talk about early voting, unless otherwise noted, this includes both in-person early voting and mail-in ballots. For clarity, the numbers have been rounded.
We found that the most populous counties, typically Democratic strongholds, had the most voters per county.
As of the morning of the 15th day before the Oct. 21 election, Franklin County saw its highest voter turnout ever, with approximately 77,000 ballots cast. They voted for President Joe Biden 65-33% over Trump.
Cuyahoga is next with 72,000. The bluest part of the state voted for Biden 66.5-32%.
Hamilton followed with 62,000. They voted for Biden 57-41%.
There’s a peak of 32,000. They voted for Biden 54-44%
Fifth is Montgomery with 29,000. They voted for Biden 50-48%.
Lucas finished 10th out of 22,000. They voted for Biden 58-41%.
Each of these counties played a huge role in the 2023 election on social grounds – helping to protect access to abortion, legalize recreational marijuana and secure voting rights.
Election experts say Democrats tend to be the ones who vote early. But Republican politicians are trying to change that.
“You can have complete confidence in this process,” said Bernie Moreno, the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate. “Look, Republicans are going to have huge success in early voting.”
And that could work. We calculated the number of early votes from counties that Trump won in 2020, which is 81 out of 88. The total number of votes is approximately 550,000, which is approximately 65% of early votes.
This does not mean that all voters in these counties are voting for Trump – it may be Democrats living there who will vote earlier. But ruby red counties like Putnam and Mercer are emerging.
Of the counties Trump won, they were both Republican strongholds and more mid-major districts.
Warren County connects Montgomery with 29,000 voters. They voted for Trump 65-34%.
Lorain is next with 27,000. They voted for Trump 50-48%.
Butler follows him with 26,000. They voted for Trump 65-34%.
Stark also has 26,000. They voted for Trump 58-40%.
And Delaware with 20,000. They voted for Trump 52-45%.
Lorain, Stark and Delaware do rotational countieswho either voted for Obama and then Trump or voted for issues that the Ohio Republican Party opposes, such as abortion access and recreational marijuana.
The changes continue – then Medina and Lake, each with 19,000. Medina voted for Trump 61-38% and for Lake 56-42%.
However, many blue counties are seeing an raise in early voting this year. Mike West of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections said in-person voting has already broken records.
“I think we can get almost double the number of early voters in this election compared to the last ‘normal’ presidential election,” West said.
Due to the pandemic, it’s complex to compare early voting data from 2020, so I’m comparing it to 2016.
Two weeks before the 2016 election, approximately 7,000 in-person early voting took place in Cuyahoga County. And now it’s at about 54,000. Summit County says it’s seeing the same trend.
In the daily comparison, Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton have more voters than at the same time in 2016.
Democrats shouldn’t get too excited. West said they may be ahead in early voting, but that doesn’t mean there will be a huge raise in overall turnout.
“It seems like every four years the same people come out and vote,” he said. “We just slice and dice the methods a little differently.”
Early voting hours
October 21-25: 8:00 – 18:00
October 26: 8:00 – 16:00
October 27: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m
October 28: 7:30 – 19:30
October 29: 7:30 – 20:30
October 30 – November 1: 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m
November 2: 8:00 – 16:00
November 15:00 – 17:00
Absentee ballots
You must request your absentee ballot by 8:30 p.m. on October 29. Once you receive your correct ballot, it must be mailed by November 4 and received by the BOE by November 9.
Where to vote
If you vote early, you MUST vote at your county board of elections.
Click here to find your polling place on November 5.
Voter identification
When voting in person, you must have a photo ID with you. Acceptable forms include a valid Ohio driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID. You can no longer apply bank statements or utility bills.
Other acceptable forms of ID include an Ohio ID card, an Ohio BMV transient identification form, a U.S. passport, an Ohio National Guard ID card, and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.
Other scandalous forms of identification include a driver’s license or photo ID issued by a state other than Ohio; Social Security card, birth certificate, insurance card, government check, paycheck, or other government document; or any notification of registration confirmation from the district electoral commission.
The ID card must have a valid expiration date, a photo of the voter, and the voter’s name, which must substantially match the voter’s name as it appears on the voter roll or in the voter register.
If you do not have any of the approved ID documents, you can cast a provisional vote. For your vote to be counted, you must return to the BOE within four days of the election and provide photo ID.
Nonpartisan voter hotline
If you have any questions or concerns about voting, impartial hotline was created.
Call or write 1-866-OUR-VOICE (866-687-8683) speak to a trained election protection volunteer in English.
The hotline is also available in various languages
Spanish: 888-Go and vote (888-839-8682)
Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
Follow WEWS House reporter Morgan Trau on X AND Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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