Warren County voters have already cast more early in-person ballots than they did during the entire 2022 midterm election, and the polls are still open.
More than 19,000 people had voted early in person as of Saturday, Oct. 24, Board of Elections Director Brian Sleeth told WLWT. That surpasses the 18,269 early in-person votes cast countywide during the full 2022 midterm cycle.
Mason and Deerfield Township residents who want to vote early use the same Board of Elections office in Lebanon where the lines have been forming. All early voting in Warren County takes place at 520 Justice Drive.
Sleeth called it the busiest he has ever seen for a gubernatorial midterm, saying the office has had lines out the door on some days. "The energy levels are just through the roof," he said.
The milestone caps a surge that has been building since early voting opened Oct. 6. The Dayton Daily News reported on Oct. 14 that 4,420 people voted in person during the first four days alone, more than double the 2,141 who showed up during the same window in 2022. Sleeth told the paper it was the most early voting he had seen in a non-presidential year since he started at the board in 2007.
To keep lines moving, Sleeth said his office hired additional staff. He told WLWT he did not want voters standing outside for hours.
Sleeth encouraged residents to vote before Election Day, Nov. 3. He called waiting a "gamble" because voters cannot predict their situation that day.
Early voting continues through Sunday, Nov. 1. Remaining hours, according to the board's public election notice:
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Oct. 30: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (last day of early voting)
On Election Day, voters must go to their assigned polling location. The Board of Elections office is not open for voting on Nov. 3.
