Board of Elections approves machine allocations as registration deadline nears

JEFFERSON — The deadline for people to register to vote in time to participate in the November election is fast approaching.

The last day to register is Monday, according to a press release from the Ashtabula County Board of Elections.

The upcoming election will take place on Nov. 2, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

The Board of Elections’ office will remain open until 9 p.m. on Monday in order to maximize the deadline, according to the press release.

The Secretary of State will not be mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters this year. Anyone wishing to vote absentee can download the form from the Secretary of State’s website, ohiosos.gov, or call the Board of Elections at 440-576-6915 and request an application by mail. Applications can also be picked up at the Board of Elections office at 8 West Walnut Street in Jefferson.

In-person early voting will start on Tuesday, according to the Board of Elections website. Early in-person voting will be available at the Board of Elections office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays from Tuesday to Oct. 22. From Oct. 25 to Oct. 29, in-person voting will be available at the from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. The weekend before Election Day, Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, the Board of Elections office will be open with varying hours for early in-person voting.

At a Board of Elections meeting on Wednesday, the board approved allocations of machines for the upcoming election. Voters whose polling location has been impacted by the recent move of two precincts to the Ashtabula YMCA from the Ashtabula County District Library.

BOE Deputy Director Charlie Frye said there is a shortage of poll workers for the upcoming election. Frye and Board of Elections Director John Mead put together a mailer to areas where additional poll workers are needed, Frye said.

“The biggest problem that we have is that we’ve had these poll workers that have been there for 20, 30 years or more, they’re retiring,” Frye said.

Board of Elections Chair Isaac Arthur encouraged elected officials who are not on the ballot in November to volunteer to be poll workers.

Also at the meeting, Frye said a transfer switch needed for the installation of a backup generator for the Board of Elections office was received, and will be tested over the weekend. The electric company will be on-site Saturday to help with the test, Frye said.

The Board of Elections has been in the process of installing a back-up generator for some time. The decision to install a generator was spurred by the loss of power to the Board of Elections office during early voting in the 2020 Presidential Election.