LaRose encourages voters to start Election Day research now

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Ohio’s November election is officially 125 days away, and from a presidential contest to statehouse races, it will be a packed ballot.

“It’s your voice and it really does make a difference every year,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) said. “We have dozens of elections that come down to a single vote. People are surprised to learn that. Of course, we’re not talking about presidential or gubernatorial elections, but those local elections.”

Nov. 5, Ohioans will be able to vote in the presidential election, a high-stakes U.S. Senate race and possibly in several issue elections, such as a movement to change who manages redistricting redistricting .

“There’s no reason not to (vote). We make it easy in Ohio,” LaRose said. “It’s convenient with a full month of early voting, with absentee voting from the comfort of home as well as the chance to vote, of course, from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. (on Election Day).”

LaRose urged Ohioans to start doing research now to make sure voters can make informed choices throughout the ballot, not just for top-of-the-ticket races.

“Active citizenship comes in a lot of different forms. You can be involved in your community, maybe run for office, maybe be a teacher or police officer or journalist,” he said. “There’s a lot of ways that you can contribute. Simply being a voter is the bare minimum requirement for active citizenship.”

Larose said there are “a lot of good reasons to vote, and no good reason not to.”

He said those who prefer to avoid their polling locations can always vote absentee, a method that also allows citizens to do research while casting their votes.

“Not only is it convenient, it’s also secure,” he said. “Ohioans can go to bed on election night confidently knowing that they were part of an accurate and honest reflection of the will of the people.”

LaRose also encouraged Ohioans to sign up to be a poll worker. He said each year it takes between 30,000 and 40,000 Ohioans to run polls across the state.

“They pay you for the work, but that’s not the real reason to do it. The real reason to do it is it’s a civic duty,” LaRose said. “When you kick your feet up at 8:30 on election night and see those results scroll across the bottom of the screen, you’ll know that you were part of delivering another free and fair election for the people of Ohio. And I think that’ll feel pretty good.”

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